UN rights chief warns unchecked AI can pose 'existential risk' to humanity

UN rights chief Volker Turk has called for binding rules, independent oversight and safeguards for AI, warning that technological power is concentrated in the hands of a few

Artificial intelligence (AI) risks reaching a point where it could become an "existential risk to humanity" unless governments strengthen safeguards around the technology, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has warned. Addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Turk urged countries to establish binding rules, independent oversight and clear limits for AI systems as they gain greater autonomy and the ability to act with less human intervention.

 

Turk said the risks from AI are moving beyond concerns such as misinformation and job losses, with growing questions over whether increasingly powerful systems could eventually act in ways their developers cannot control.

 

 

AI systems must remain under human control

 

According to UN News, Turk said AI development needs stronger safety measures before systems become too powerful to manage. He pointed to the possibility of AI escaping controlled testing environments or attempting to prevent developers from shutting it down.

 

"AI that escapes its testing environment, or blackmails developers to prevent itself from being turned off, is AI that is too powerful," Turk told the council.

 

He called for what he described as "cast iron guarantees" around the safety and security of AI, arguing that safeguards need to be established before the technology reaches a point where it becomes difficult to control.

 

The UN rights chief also called for countries involved in AI technologies and their supply chains to work together to establish clear boundaries. He said the industry needs independent verification and closer cooperation on safety.

 

Power over AI is becoming concentrated

 

For Turk, AI safety is not only a technical issue. He also raised concerns about who controls the technology and the large amounts of data being collected and processed. "A handful of men has almost unlimited power over AI," he said, pointing to the concentration of technological power.

 

The concern extends to the wider impact of AI on society. Turk said technology should serve humanity rather than the other way around, highlighting its implications for jobs, democracy and the environment.

 

His comments place human rights at the centre of the AI debate, rather than treating safety only as a question of whether a system works as intended. 

 

Concerns over autonomous weapons

 

AI's use in warfare was another major concern raised by Turk. He said he was "horrified" by reports of fully autonomous drones allegedly deployed by Russia that killed three Ukrainians last month. Ukraine has also reportedly tested such weapons.

 

Turk called for an urgent prohibition on weapons that can take human lives without human involvement. The issue highlights one of the most difficult questions surrounding military AI: whether machines should be allowed to make decisions that result in the use of lethal force without a human making the final decision.

 

The UN rights chief also warned that the war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year, continues to result in civilian deaths and injuries and damage to critical energy infrastructure. He noted that casualties have also been reported in Russia. 

 

More than 60 conflicts worldwide

 

Turk's concerns about AI came as part of a broader warning about the global security situation. He said more than 60 conflicts involving at least one country are now taking place around the world, a level not seen since the end of the Second World War.

 

He also expressed concern about renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran and their wider geopolitical and economic effects. Turk also condemned continuing Israeli strikes in Gaza and restrictions on humanitarian aid. He criticised plans for the forced displacement of Palestinians and what he described as dehumanising rhetoric from some senior Israeli officials.

 

For AI, however, his warning was aimed at preventing a similar point of no return. As the technology becomes more powerful and autonomous, Turk's message was that rules and safeguards need to be established before control becomes harder to guarantee.