President John Dramani Mahama, at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), has cautioned world leaders about the potential threats that technological advancements pose to global peace and security.
This year’s General Assembly, held in New York, beginning September 23, 2025, was held under the theme “Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights.”
It brought together world leaders to reflect on eight decades of international cooperation while confronting new challenges, from ongoing conflicts and climate change to the regulation of artificial intelligence and digital platforms.
President Mahama, in his address on September 25, 2025, highlighted the double-edged nature of rapid technological advancements. He noted that the very innovations shaping modern life (thus, cryptocurrency, Artificial Intelligence, and social media) also carry serious risks to global peace and security.
“Eighty years on, in today’s world, 100,000 commercial flights take off and land every day, libraries have been digitised so that volumes of literature can exist on a device small enough to fit inside your pocket.
“This is a world of cryptocurrency, Artificial Intelligence, social media, the internet, and its dark, hidden dungeon – the dark web – all of which carry a potential threat to global peace and security,” he said.
President Mahama highlighted how digital platforms and artificial intelligence can distort human interaction and civic discourse.
“The Internet, social media platforms, and Artificial Intelligence offer us the illusion of connectivity, when in fact they reinforce isolation by using algorithms that ensure we do not receive new ideas and perspectives, but rather more of the same,” adding that “we are served alternative facts and manipulated images, making it easier to disseminate misinformation and sow seeds of division.”
Featured image is owned by UN Photo
