UN chief says NPT must evolve amid AI nuclear buildup
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- António Guterres warned that the NPT’s relevance is eroding and that the treaty must be revitalized to address new technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
- Global military spending jumped to $2.7 trillion in 2025, and for the first time in decades the number of nuclear warheads is increasing while nuclear testing is being reconsidered.
- Do Hung Viet of Vietnam, elected President of the NPT Review, said the treaty’s credibility is under threat, recalled that the 2022 and 2015 review conferences failed to reach consensus, and urged constructive agreement.
- United States and allies (Australia, the United Kingdom on France, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates) objected to Iran’s candidacy for Vice‑President of the General Committee, calling it an affront to the NPT.
- Russia criticised the U.S. objections as politicising the conference, while Iran’s delegate dismissed the criticism as baseless and highlighted the U.S.’s own nuclear weapons use and expansion.
- The 11th NPT Review runs from 27 April to 22 May at UN Headquarters, with sessions streamed live on UN WebTV, and delegations agreed to disassociate from the vote on Iran’s candidacy to preserve consensus.
Why it matters: The warning signals that states with expanding arsenals—most notably the United States—stand to benefit from a weakened NPT, while non‑nuclear‑weapon nations risk losing the treaty’s protective taboo, potentially accelerating a new nuclear arms race and undermining global security.
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