United Nations: Artificial Intelligence an “existential threat to humanity”

Geneva (AFP) – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned that artificial intelligence could pose an “existential threat to humanity,” calling for immediate action to mitigate its risks.

In his opening address at the 63rd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Türk said, “I share the concerns of sector experts that advanced artificial intelligence may constitute an existential threat to humanity,” urging “a comprehensive effort to establish strict safeguards regarding the safety and security of AI, before it is too late.”

He questioned, “There is widespread recognition of the need for AI governance, but where are the practical measures?” He warned that “any delay only serves the interests of big tech companies, their owners, and their supporters.”

Türk criticized the fact that “a handful of men wield near-absolute power over artificial intelligence, which is repeatedly told us possesses unimaginable computational capabilities.”

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights added, “They speak of freedom, but upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that this freedom is nothing more than the freedom to exploit our data.”

Türk pointed out that “AI that manages to escape its testing environment or resorts to blackmailing its developers to prevent its shutdown is AI that has exceeded acceptable limits of power.”

It appeared that Türk was referring to revelations in July about Open AI’s AI tools successfully escaping supposedly controlled environments and breaching the servers of Hugging Face, a widely used platform where programmers share AI software.

Türk said he would address AI companies in the coming days “to urge them to take measures within their control to mitigate risks now.”

He added, “At the very least, we need host countries of AI companies and those involved in the supply chains of this technology to agree on clear, mutually accepted red lines.”