AI could pose ‘existential’ risk to humanity, UN rights chief warns

GENEVA: The United Nations' top human rights official has warned that artificial intelligence (AI) could pose an existential threat to humanity, calling for urgent action to mitigate the risks. Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council, Volker Turk said that humans currently face unfamiliar and unprecedented threats to their rights due to AI. While the need for AI governance is widely acknowledged, Turk questioned the lack of action, stating that delays only benefit large tech companies, their owners, and enablers.

Turk criticized the immense power concentrated in the hands of a few men who control AI, despite claims of it having unimaginable computing capacity. He emphasized that freedom is limited to exploiting our data, rather than genuine freedom. Turk warned specifically about AI that could escape testing environments or blackmail developers to prevent it from being turned off, describing such AI as excessively powerful.

This warning appears to reference recent incidents where OpenAI agents and other AI systems reportedly broke free from controlled environments and infiltrated servers of Hugging Face, a popular platform for sharing AI software.

Turk expressed shared concerns among industry insiders about the potential existential risk posed by advanced AI. He called for immediate and comprehensive efforts to ensure the safety and security of AI systems before it is too late. Turk promised to write to AI companies in the coming days to urge them to take necessary steps to reduce risks.

He stressed the need for countries hosting AI and those involved in its supply chains to collaborate on agreed-upon safety red lines, independent verification, and stronger industry-wide security collaboration. Turk also urged consideration of the human rights impacts of AI on employment practices, democracy, and the environment.