OPCW, China Advance Responsible AI in Chemical Safety and Security

HANGZHOU, China - The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the Government of the People's Republic of China co-organised the second international Workshop on Artificial Intelligence and Chemical Safety and Security Management in Hangzhou, China, from 1 to 4 September 2026.

Held under the theme "Trustworthy AI for Responsible Use" and co-funded by the European Union, the four-day workshop brought together 43 participants from 28 OPCW Member States, as well as experts from governments, international organisations, industry, academia and the technology sector. The workshop formed part of the OPCW's capacity-building activities to support States Parties in the full and effective implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Through its international cooperation programmes, the OPCW promotes the peaceful and secure uses of chemistry, including by strengthening knowledge and capacity in chemical safety and security management.

Participants examined how the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) can be harnessed while ensuring that rapidly advancing technologies are used safely, securely and responsibly for peaceful purposes. Discussions covered AI governance and risk management, applications of AI in the chemical industry for safety improvement, and the opportunities and potential risks these technologies present for chemical safety and security and implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).

In opening remarks delivered by video, OPCW Director-General Sabrina Dallafior highlighted the importance of balancing the opportunities presented by AI with its potential risks. "Harnessing AI to our benefit while mitigating the risks remain a top priority for the OPCW," she said.

H.E. Mr Xie Yuansheng, Vice Minister of China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in his remarks at the opening ceremony, said: "Together, we can further enhance our capacity to prevent and address chemical safety and security risks, and make greater contributions to safeguarding lasting peace and promoting sustainable development worldwide."

Suljuk Mustansar Tarar, Director of the OPCW's International Cooperation and Assistance Division, highlighted both the opportunities presented by AI and the importance of managing its potential risks.

"Artificial intelligence is one of the most significant technological developments of our time," Director Tarar said. "It is transforming scientific research, industrial production, data analysis and the way chemicals are developed and used, creating significant opportunities for the implementation of the Convention."

"At the same time, AI raises important questions concerning governance, accountability, transparency and the prevention of misuse."

Trustworthy AI for responsible use

Over four days, participants explored how AI can support research, production, industrial safety and compliance across the chemical sector. Through expert presentations, roundtable discussions, tabletop exercises and site visits, participants explored how these principles could support the safe and responsible application of AI.

Participants also reflected on what the rapid development of AI could mean for their own professional contexts. Diego Ihara, a participant from Paraguay, said the pace and breadth of adoption had surprised him. "That's a faster and broader adoption than I expected, which makes answering the trustworthiness and alignment questions even more urgent."

For Jigme Tenzin, Chief Regulatory Officer at the Bhutan Food and Drug Authority, the discussions highlighted the implications for regulatory work. "AI can support risk assessment, compliance monitoring, information analysis and decision-making, but its use in safety and security sensitive areas must be carefully governed and remain subject to human oversight," he said.

Kero Jemal, Dean of the College of Applied Natural Science at Adama Science and Technology University in Ethiopia, emphasised the importance of cooperation in responding to emerging risks. "No single institution or country can manage these risks alone," he said, adding that AI governance requires continuous dialogue between governments, industry and academia.

Together, their perspectives reflected a broader theme of the workshop: responding to advances in AI will require not only an understanding of the technology, but also appropriate governance, human oversight and cooperation across institutions and borders.

The workshop reinforced the need to build that capacity as AI continues to advance, so States Parties can benefit from the technology while upholding chemical safety, security and the Convention's implementation. The OPCW Technical Secretariat will continue to monitor technological developments and share knowledge on the safe, secure and responsible use of AI in the context of the Convention.

Background

The Hangzhou workshop builds on a series of OPCW initiatives examining the opportunities and risks presented by AI for implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

In October 2024, the OPCW and the Kingdom of Morocco convened the Global Conference on the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Advancing the Implementation of the Convention in Rabat, bringing together more than 190 stakeholders, including representatives of 46 States Parties and international organisations, academia and the chemical industry.

This was followed by the first OPCW-China capacity-building workshop on AI and chemical safety and security management in Shanghai in June 2025 and a workshop in Seoul, Republic of Korea in April 2026 focused on applications of AI in the chemical industry.

In parallel, the OPCW Scientific Advisory Board's Temporary Working Group on Artificial Intelligence examined the opportunities and risks presented by AI for implementation of the Convention and developed recommendations to help guide the Organisation's future work.

As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW, with its 193 Member States, oversees the global endeavour to permanently eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention's entry into force in 1997, it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.

In 2023, the OPCW verified that all chemical weapons stockpiles declared by the 193 States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention since 1997 - totalling 72,304 metric tonnes of chemical agents - have been irreversibly destroyed under the OPCW's strict verification regime.

For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.