BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 7. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has warned that advanced artificial intelligence could pose an “existential” threat to humanity and called for stronger international safeguards to control its risks.
Speaking in Geneva on Monday, Türk said he shared concerns raised by industry insiders about the potential dangers of increasingly powerful AI systems.
“I share the concerns of industry insiders that advanced AI could pose an existential risk to humanity,” Türk told the UN Human Rights Council.
He called for an “all-out effort” to establish strong guarantees for the safety and security of AI before it becomes too late.
A spokesperson for Türk’s office said failures involving powerful AI systems could disrupt critical infrastructure, communications, public services and democratic institutions.
The UN rights chief also expressed concern that AI capabilities may be developing faster than the safeguards designed to control them. He referred to the so-called Hugging Face incident in July, in which a group of AI agents reportedly hacked an open-source platform.
Türk warned that a small number of individuals currently hold what he described as “almost unlimited power” over AI, without naming specific people or companies.
He called on countries involved in AI development and supply chains to establish internationally agreed “red lines” governing the technology.
The UN Human Rights Council is also addressing the war involving Iran, the conflict in Sudan and other international crises during its current session.
Türk additionally called for accountability over deaths in US immigration custody and voiced concern about proposals to equip immigration agents with electric-shock gloves.
