Cooper: AI poses ‘Hiroshima’-style threat to humanity without global rules

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has warned that artificial intelligence (AI) could pose a threat to humanity comparable to nuclear weapons if governments fail to agree on international regulation. In an interview with The Guardian, she said AI would become the dominant foreign policy issue over the next two years.

In an essay published Monday by the Chatham House think tank, Cooper compared the need to curb AI to post-Hiroshima nuclear controls. “On nuclear, international agreement came only after the world saw the terrifying power of the new technology at Hiroshima – and asked what would happen if it fell into the wrong hands. We cannot afford to wait for an AI equivalent of Hiroshima before we act,” she wrote.

Cooper stressed that there are already malign actors using technology against us – hybrid threats, state-backed criminal groups, extremists and terrorists. She also highlighted a shift in UK foreign policy, noting that the US will no longer play the role of global arbiter. “We should no longer expect the US to play the role it once did,” she said.

In her essay, Cooper called for a new, structured relationship with Europe, including a more stable partnership with the EU rather than endless piecemeal negotiations. She also expressed concern about the peace process in Palestine, warning that the world risks forgetting it amid other crises.