Zelenskyy urges peace before AI controls battlefields

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged world leaders to halt the rapid development of lethal weapons that have allowed the Russia-Ukraine war to escalate so far, warning that artificial intelligence could soon make battlefield decisions. Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York on September 23, Zelenskyy stated there is a real probability that next year AI, not just humans, will begin making decisions on the battlefield. He insisted peace is needed before reaching that point. Zelenskyy emphasized humanity should end all wars and live in peace before AI transitions from the digital world to shaping physical reality. In the same speech, he called Russian leader Vladimir Putin the "patient zero" spreading the idea of war globally.