Japanese high school peace messengers urge global limits on AI-driven weaponry

A group of Japanese high-school “peace messengers” visited the United Nations office in Geneva, presenting a petition with more than 60,000 signatures gathered over the past year. The students, drawn from 19 prefectures such as Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Kumamoto, highlighted the growing threat that artificial intelligence poses when merged with nuclear arsenals. Rinako Goto, a 17-year-old from Kumamoto, emphasized the need for concrete risk-reduction measures to prevent catastrophic outcomes.

The delegation also attended a session on lethal autonomous weapons systems alongside government experts. After the meeting, senior U.N. disarmament official Carolyne-Melanie Regimbal said the AI-military nexus represents a major future challenge, especially in combination with traditional weapons of mass destruction. The peace messengers continue a tradition of representing cities devastated by atomic bombs, and last year’s cohort was honored by the Arms Control Association as the 2025 Arms Control Person(s) of the Year.