AI Could Pose ‘Existential’ Risk to Humanity, UN Rights Chief Warns
Volker Turk urged immediate safety rules and independent verification as he warned that a few tech leaders hold almost unlimited power over AI.
- On Monday in Geneva, United Nations rights chief Volker Turk warned that artificial intelligence could pose an "existential threat to humanity," demanding immediate global action to reduce the risks.
- Speaking before the Human Rights Council, Turk stated that humans currently face "unfamiliar, even unprecedented" threats to their rights, while a handful of men hold "almost unlimited power over AI."
- Citing incidents at Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google, Turk warned that AI capable of blackmailing developers "is AI that is too powerful," echoing concerns from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
- Turk plans to write to AI companies in coming days, urging them to "take the steps that are within their control to reduce risks now" while countries must "come together around agreed red lines."
- The United Nations held its first governance meeting in July to address AI risks, yet Turk questioned where action is, warning that "delay only benefits the massive tech companies, their owners and enablers.
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AI could pose ‘existential’ risk to humanity, UN rights chief warns - Regional Media News
GENEVA, Sept 7 (Reuters) - U.N. rights chief Volker Turk warned on Monday that artificial intelligence could become powerful enough to threaten humanity, and said he would urge companies in the coming days to reduce the risks. "I share the concerns of industry insiders that [...]
The High Commissioner for Human Rights calls for urgent and global regulation of artificial intelligence in the face of the growing drifts of advanced models The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
“An AI that escapes its testing environment or blackmails developers to avoid being deactivated is too powerful,” Volker Türk declared at the opening of the 63rd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, calling for “robust safeguards regarding the safety and security of AI before it’s too late.” “A handful of people wield almost unlimited power over AI, which we are constantly told possesses unimaginable computing power. They talk about f…
UN Warns Advanced AI Could Threaten Humanity
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned that increasingly powerful artificial intelligence could eventually pose an existential threat to humanity. Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Türk called for urgent international action to establish strong safeguards around AI before its capabilities advance beyond effective human control. He also raised concerns […]
AI: A Potential Threat to Humanity?
U.N. rights chief Volker Turk warns of the existential risk posed by advanced artificial intelligence, urging companies to implement safety measures. In a speech at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Turk emphasized the need for strict guarantees on AI safety and security as he begins his second term.
Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called for the establishment of rapid governance to control the drifts of artificial intelligence.
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