UN Chief Urges Global Action to Contain Growing AI Risks

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has warned that increasingly advanced artificial intelligence could create risks serious enough to threaten humanity, calling for stronger international safeguards before the technology develops beyond effective oversight.

Speaking in Geneva on September 7, Turk said he shared concerns raised by people inside the AI industry about the possibility of advanced systems creating an “existential risk to humanity.” He urged governments and technology companies to work urgently on safety measures, saying stronger guarantees were needed to prevent potentially devastating consequences.

Turk made the remarks in an address to the 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council ahead of the beginning of his second four-year term. He won another term in July despite opposition from both Moscow and Washington.

The U.N. rights chief did not provide a detailed list of the potential dangers posed by advanced AI. However, a spokesperson for his office said failures involving powerful systems could interfere with critical infrastructure, communications, essential services and democratic institutions.

His concerns also included the pace at which AI capabilities are developing compared with existing safeguards. The spokesperson pointed to the so-called Hugging Face incident in July, in which a group of OpenAI agents reportedly hacked an open-source platform. The incident was described as evidence that some frontier AI capabilities may be advancing faster than the protections designed to control them.

Turk also raised concerns about the concentration of AI power among a small number of individuals and companies. Without naming specific people, he said a handful of men currently possess what he described as almost unlimited power over AI. Major companies in the sector include Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI and Google.

He called for countries that host AI companies and those involved in the technology’s supply chains to establish common limits. According to Turk, governments should agree on clear “red lines” governing the development and use of advanced AI.

His speech covered several other major human rights issues, including the use of autonomous weapons, deaths in U.S. immigration custody and ongoing conflicts around the world.

Turk said he was deeply alarmed by reports that Russia had deployed fully autonomous drones in Ukraine. The weapons were allegedly responsible for killing three people in August, although Reuters said it had not independently verified the reports.

He supported calls for an urgent international ban on weapons capable of taking human lives without human involvement. His comments came as countries were holding talks in Geneva over autonomous weapons. Russia’s diplomatic mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Turk also demanded accountability over approximately 23 deaths that he said had occurred in U.S. immigration custody so far this year. He expressed concern about plans to equip immigration agents with electric shock gloves.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has previously said it is committed to maintaining a safe, secure and humane detention environment. The department’s inspector general is investigating deaths in immigration custody dating back to October 2021. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

Beyond AI and U.S. immigration policies, Turk condemned Russia’s intensified attacks on Ukraine and criticized Iran over rising executions.

The U.N. rights chief said the international community is now facing more than 60 wars involving at least one state, the highest number since World War Two. He outlined proposals aimed at encouraging peace and said his office would pay closer attention to companies and economic interests that contribute to conflicts.

“We will not shy away from exposing the shadow players and calling for accountability,” Turk said.

Later in September, the U.N. human rights office is expected to release a list of businesses operating in Israeli settlements in the West Bank that the global body considers illegal. Israel has rejected that characterization.

Turk’s remarks place AI safety alongside conventional human rights and security concerns, reflecting growing international attention on the potential consequences of rapidly developing artificial intelligence.