SAEDNEWS: Iranian Minister Warns AI Could Lead to an “Invisible Dictatorship”
According to Saednews, addressing UNESCO’s 2026 Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (GFEAI 2026) in Riyadh on Wednesday, Hossein Simaee Sarraf stressed that technology is not neutral and warned that artificial intelligence could be used as a means of oppression.
“Artificial intelligence does not act fairly by itself,” Simaee remarked, adding that algorithms can sometimes destroy more than they create and that platforms can become sources of harm instead of development.
He also cautioned that even surveillance must have limits, noting that greater oversight of governments and those in power is desirable, while monitoring ordinary citizens’ behavior, relationships and intentions could create an “invisible dictatorship.”
“Today, data is being used in actions that violate human rights and even lead to the killing of children,” the minister noted, questioning whether AI platforms and technology developers should bear responsibility for how their systems are used.
Simaee pointed out that AI can also be used “to identify and precisely target human beings with missiles,” raising serious ethical questions about its military applications.
Referring to the US attack on a school in southern Iran using AI, which he said resulted in the deaths of 168 students and teachers, Simaee stressed that the issue required deep consideration and urgent solutions.
The minister further cautioned that AI could widen existing inequalities, noting that an ethical framework should not only prevent harm but also guarantee equal access to the technology.
“Technology must serve humanity, and artificial intelligence must expand human freedom, rather than restrict it,” Simaee stressed, calling on developing countries to build AI systems suited to their own languages and cultures.
According to Press TV, his warnings come as AI-assisted warfare has increasingly featured in the military operations of Tel Aviv and Washington.
Investigations have suggested that Israel has extensively used digital tools, including Lavender and the Gospel, to identify and target Palestinians in Gaza. According to the figures cited in the report, more than 73,000 people have been killed and 173,000 wounded there.
Reports have also linked AI-assisted surveillance and targeting technologies to Israel’s military operations in Lebanon, where, according to the cited figures, 4,383 people have been killed and 12,406 wounded.
Furthermore, during the US-Israeli aggression against Iran, several AI platforms developed by major technology companies, including Microsoft, Apple and Amazon, were reportedly combined with satellite imagery, radar, drone and communications data to create battlefield intelligence and support targeting decisions.
Simaee underscored that the region’s most important priority is now an end to unilateral coercive measures and the establishment of peace, describing sanctions as “unethical” and peace and security as an ethical necessity.
Simaee also noted that Iran has capable universities, researchers, knowledge-based companies and specialized institutions, stressing that these capacities should be brought together through greater cooperation, data sharing and the joint use of infrastructure.
