U.N. Chief Warns AI Could Pose Existential Risk to Humanity

U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk warned on Monday that artificial intelligence could pose an existential threat to humanity and called for governments and technology companies to establish safeguards before increasingly powerful systems outpace efforts to control them.

“I share the concerns of industry insiders that advanced AI could pose an existential risk to humanity,” Turk told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.

“I ⁠am calling here, today, for an all-out effort to put cast-iron guarantees in place around the safety and security of AI, before it is too late.”

Turk said a small number of people wielded “almost unlimited power over AI” and called for countries involved in developing the technology and its supply chains to agree on limits.

“At a minimum, we need countries hosting AI and those involved in its supply chains to come together around agreed red lines,” he said.

Turk did not specify the potential existential risks, but a spokesperson for his office said failures involving advanced AI systems could disrupt critical infrastructure, communications and democratic institutions.

The spokesperson also pointed to what she described as “dangerous agent-training behaviours” in July’s so-called Hugging Face incident, in which a swarm of OpenAI agents hacked an open-source platform.

She said the incident suggested that frontier AI capabilities were advancing faster than the safeguards designed to contain them.

The warning came in Turk’s first address to the 47-member council since he secured a second four-year term in July despite opposition from Moscow and Washington.

Turk also expressed “horror” at reports that Russia had used fully autonomous drones in Ukraine, allegedly killing three people in August.

“I join calls for the urgent prohibition of weapons that can take lives without human involvement,” he said, referring to talks in Geneva.

Reuters has not independently verified the reports. Russia’s diplomatic mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Turk’s comments come as governments and technology companies face growing pressure over the development of autonomous weapons and increasingly capable AI systems.

The council is meeting until Oct. 7 to discuss the war in Iran, Sudan’s civil conflict and other crises. The Trump administration disengaged from the council last year, accusing it of anti-Israeli bias.

Turk also called for accountability over around 23 deaths that he said had occurred in U.S. immigration custody so far this year.

He said he was concerned about plans to equip immigration agents with electric shock gloves.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has previously said it was committed to ensuring a “safe, secure and humane” environment in detention. Its inspector general is examining deaths in custody since October 2021.

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

Turk condemned Russia’s intensified attacks on Ukraine and Iran’s rising number of executions.

With more than 60 wars around the world involving at least one state, the highest number since World War Two, Turk said his office would increase scrutiny of businesses and economic interests contributing to conflicts.

“We will not shy away from exposing the shadow players and calling for accountability,” he said.

Later this month, the U.N. human rights office is due to publish a list of businesses operating in Israeli West Bank settlements that the global body considers illegal. Israel rejects that characterization.

Stay ahead of the Stories shaping our world. Subscribe to Impact Newswire and join our 
WhatsApp Channel for updates on global tech, business, and innovation—all in one place.

Dive deeper into the future with the Cause Effect 4.0 Podcast, where we explore the ideas, trends, and technologies driving the global AI conversation.

Got a story to share? Contact Us to reach a global audience with Impact Newswire.