PARIS – Lebanon’s Environment Minister Tamara El Zein warned against the use of artificial intelligence in armed conflicts, particularly in target selection and decisions involving life and death. She called for keeping technological power under human control and ensuring that it is not used in ways that violate human dignity.
El Zein made these remarks during the opening address at the fourth Conference of Chief Scientific Advisors, organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris under the title “Trusted Expertise in an Age of Plural Knowledge.” Her speech examined the relationship between science, power, and responsibility amid the growing diversity of knowledge sources and rapid technological advancement.
El Zein stressed that the use of science and technology, particularly artificial intelligence in armed conflicts, places a shared responsibility on scientists and policymakers. She emphasized that “the mission of science is to build, not destroy,” adding that science cannot evade its responsibility by shifting it onto politics, just as politics cannot hide behind science to justify its decisions.
Knowledge Between Science and Power
El Zein addressed the transformations in the role of science and the standing of expertise in society, noting that knowledge production is increasingly influenced by market logic, quantitative indicators, and competition, sometimes at the expense of its quality and social impact.
In this context, she drew on the ideas of philosopher Edgar Morin, particularly his criticism of technological and economic globalization. She noted that science, technology, and the economy have become powerful driving forces with both positive and negative potential, but require human and ethical guidance.
She also warned against treating scientific progress and innovation as values in themselves without assessing their humanitarian and social benefits. She called for strengthening scientific expertise grounded in in-depth knowledge, experience, and interdisciplinary cooperation.
El Zein underscored the importance of scientific integrity, arguing that academic standing and public recognition do not exempt scientists from adhering to ethical standards. Scientific responsibility, she said, must remain tied to the quality and credibility of knowledge, rather than the pursuit of titles and influence.
Artificial Intelligence and Environmental Justice
Addressing the relationship between technology and sustainable development, El Zein raised questions about the environmental costs of artificial intelligence, including its consumption of energy and material resources, as well as the risks of creating new forms of dependency and concentrating power.
She stressed that technology must be assessed not only in terms of its potential benefits but also its environmental and social impact, particularly the inequalities it may exacerbate.
She called for enabling all countries to participate in producing knowledge and international expertise, communicate their priorities, and access recommendations that take their specific circumstances and needs into account, rather than simply adopting models designed in other countries.
“Expertise that deserves to be called global must be inclusive in its formation and equitable in its application,” she said, adding that sharing knowledge alone is not enough; the power to produce it and guide its use must also be shared.
The Responsibility of Scientists and Policymakers
El Zein discussed the ethical responsibility arising from scientific discoveries, referring to the experience of scientists involved in the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb, including Robert Oppenheimer, and the questions raised by the project's outcome about scientists’ responsibility for how their discoveries are used.
She argued that this responsibility has become increasingly important today, given the use of artificial intelligence in armed conflicts and its capacity to contribute to target selection and decisions that may determine human lives.
She urged scientists to warn of potential risks, question the purposes for which their research is used, and reject the use of their discoveries for destruction or violations of human dignity. Policymakers, meanwhile, bear responsibility for establishing safeguards that ensure technology remains under human oversight.
El Zein called for moving beyond a relationship in which scientists are limited to producing expertise while politicians have sole authority over its use, toward ongoing dialogue in which both sides share responsibility for assessing its potential, risks, and consequences.
In concluding her address, El Zein called on UNESCO to continue serving as a space that brings knowledge together with political responsibility and links scientific progress to justice and human dignity. She emphasized that the responsibility of science cannot be separated from that of society and the institutions that decide how it is used.
