Bringing together experts from Asia-Pacific, North America, and Europe to examine the AI dimensions of nuclear and biological risks and the management of escalation between different AI systems

TOKYO, September 29, 2026 — The Asia Pacific Group of the Trilateral Commission (Chair: Takeshi Niinami; Secretariat: International House of Japan) has launched the Trilateral Study Group on AI, Human Control, and Strategic Stability. Bringing together experts from across politics, economics, finance, technology, law, academia, and security amongst the three regions of the Asia-Pacific, North America, and Europe, the Study Group will examine how meaningful human control, accountability, and stability in times of crisis can be preserved in decisions involving the use of force and escalation, as AI is increasingly adopted in the security and defense domains. Preliminary findings will be discussed at the three regional meetings held in the latter half of 2026, and the Study Group aims to prepare a final set of recommendations in 2027.

The Study Group is led by Co-Chairs designated by each of the Trilateral Commission’s three regions: Ken Jimbo (Managing Director, International House of Japan / Professor, Keio University) from the Asia Pacific Group; Roberto Cingolani (Former CEO, Leonardo) from the European Group; and Doug Beck (Board Member, Center for a New American Security) from the North American Group. The Study Group draws on a strength distinctive to the Trilateral Commission: the ability to maintain points of contact with diverse policy and technical communities across regions and to sustain dialogue informed by different political and social contexts. Further details on the Study Group are provided in the attached appendix.

“The integration of AI into the military and security domains raises new challenges for the speed of decision-making, the focus of responsibility, and the management of escalation in times of crisis,” said Ken Jimbo, Co-Chair of the Study Group from the Asia Pacific Group. “In this Study Group, we will bring together expertise across the three regions to examine nuclear command-and-control, biosecurity, and the interaction between different AI systems. We aim to clarify how human judgment and responsibility can be secured, in both institutional and operational terms, and to translate this into concrete recommendations that policymakers and practitioners can use.”

The integration of AI into the military and security domains raises new challenges for the speed of decision-making, the focus of responsibility, and the management of escalation in times of crisis. How to preserve room for human deliberation and judgment as AI is adopted is a critical question, and one that existing international discussions have yet to address in full. In particular, the strategic consequences of AI as it becomes embedded in the decision processes and critical infrastructures of states remain insufficiently examined. The Study Group aims to chart a responsible course, one that advocates for neither an unrestricted AI race, nor an unrealistic development freeze.

The Trilateral Commission is an international, private, non-profit policy dialogue group established in 1973. It brings together senior policymakers, business leaders, and representatives of media and academia from its three regions of North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific to discuss and propose solutions to a wide range of global challenges, including geopolitics, the international economy, finance, security, advanced technology, energy, and climate change.

https://ihj.global/trilateral/en/