On 11 April 2025, Egypt submitted its views on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Military Domain to the UN Secretary-General pursuant to General Assembly Resolution 79/239, adopted on 24 December 2024 entitled “Artificial intelligence in the military domain and its implications for international peace and security”, which requested Member States to provide their perspectives on the opportunities and challenges posed to international peace and security by the application of artificial intelligence in the military domain, with specific focus on areas other than lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS).

Egypt’s submission reaffirms its position that any meaningful discussion on AI in the military domain can never overlook the priority of addressing all ethical, legal, and security dimensions surrounding LAWS, which represent the most pressing threat to international peace and security as far as military applications of AI are concerned. It advocates for a legally binding prohibition of LAWS that function without human control or oversight, pursuing a two-tiered approach of prohibition and regulation as the most effective and realistic course of action. Beyond LAWS, Egypt emphasized in its submission the need to prioritize the governance of other AI-enabled military systems according to their inherent risks and their potential impact on international peace and security.

It emphasizes the need to streamline existing international initiatives on AI in the military domain and bring them under the UN umbrella to ensure inclusivity and effectiveness. Egypt underscores that the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS cannot serve as a substitute for the envisaged UN-led process, given that it is not universal in nature, lacks the mandate to address such a versatile topic, and has thus far yielded minimal progress. Egypt accordingly calls for a universal, independent, single-tracked and trusted platform under UN auspices to govern AI in the military domain.

The submission outlines five core elements to underpin the envisaged UN-led deliberations:

1. Full compliance with applicable international law, including the cardinal principles of International Humanitarian Law — necessity, proportionality and distinction — as well as other ethical considerations, throughout the entire life cycle of AI military applications.
2. The centrality of the human element throughout the whole lifecycle of AI military applications. All software, algorithms, and designs involving AI in the military domain must remain subject to critical human revision and the principle of explainability.
3. A balanced approach to proliferation risks to non-state actors and the right of states to acquire AI and dual use technology. 
4. A capacity-building component that preserves the right of developing countries to benefit from AI military applications and aims at bridging the digital divide.
5. Defining the boundaries of AI in the military domain and its interplay with other new and emerging technologies. This includes ensuring complementarity with other UN-led processes, such as the UN Open-Ended Working Group on the security of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), given AI’s intersections with cyber operations.

Finally, Egypt emphasized the importance of inclusive and equitable governance of military AI within the UN framework, while stressing that multi-stakeholder participation should not prejudice the sovereign prerogative of States in the policy-making process.