Artificial intelligence, or AI, could pose an existential threat to humanity, the UN human rights chief warned on Monday. He pledged to pressure AI companies to reduce the risks. According to his office, these risks include disruption of services, communications and democratic systems. Reuters reported.
In a speech at the start of his second term at the 47-member Human Rights Council in Geneva, Turk said, “Like industry, I believe that advanced AI could pose an existential risk to humanity.” He called for strong measures to regulate AI and ensure its practical safety before it is too late. He warned that AI’s almost limitless power is in the hands of just a few people.
He called on countries involved in the AI supply chain to come together to set a consensus boundary, or ‘red line’. A spokesman for his office said that AI capabilities are growing faster than security systems, citing the hacking of an open-source platform by OpenAI agents in July.
He also pledged to expose the business interests and masterminds behind the conflicts, noting that there are more than 60 wars going on around the world. Later this month, the UN human rights office is to publish a list of businesses operating in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law.
