AI Poses Existential Risk, UN Rights Chief Warns

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has expressed concerns that artificial intelligence (AI) could pose an existential risk to humanity. In a speech at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, he stated that advanced AI systems may become powerful enough to threaten human existence.

Turk emphasized the need for an all-out effort to ensure the safety and security of AI before it is too late. He noted that just a handful of men hold 'almost unlimited power over AI' at top companies including Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google.

The UN rights chief called for countries hosting AI and those involved in its supply chains to come together around agreed red lines. This echoes prior warnings from top AI executives themselves about extinction risks from AI, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.