UN’s Turk Warns of Existential Risk Posed by AI

Volker Turk, the United Nations human rights chief, has warned that AI could eventually threaten humanity, calling for stronger safeguards before the technology develops beyond effective control.

Speaking in Geneva, Turk urged governments and technology companies to establish firm limits around AI security and safety. His remarks came as he began a second 4-year term after securing re-election in July despite opposition from Washington and Moscow.

Addressing the UN Human Rights Council, Turk cautioned that the rapid development of advanced AI was raising serious concerns among people within the technology industry. He urged governments to act urgently to address the potential risks posed by increasingly powerful AI systems.

Turk didn’t specify the scenarios he considered most dangerous. However, a spokesperson said incidents involving advanced systems could interfere with democratic institutions, essential infrastructure, and communications.

The spokesperson also pointed to a July incident when a group of AI agents from OpenAI reportedly compromised the platform Hugging Face. She said the episode highlighted concerns that progress in advanced AI may be outpacing the development of adequate safety measures.

Turk cautioned that a small number of individuals currently wield enormous influence over the development of AI, although he did not identify them. Leading companies in the sector include Google, Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic.

He called on countries involved in developing AI to agree on clear boundaries for its use.

Turk’s address also covered several human rights concerns beyond AI. He demanded greater accountability for about 23 deaths that he said had occurred in United States immigration detention facilities this year.

The United States Homeland Security Department has previously stated that it is committed to maintaining safe and humane detention conditions. The department’s inspector general is investigating deaths in immigration custody dating back to 2021.

He further criticized Russia over intensified attacks in Ukraine and condemned Iran’s growing use of executions. Turk added that he was horrified by reports that Russia had deployed autonomous drones, allegedly resulting in three deaths last month.

Calling for urgent international action, Turk backed efforts to prohibit weapons capable of killing without direct human control. Turk also pledged closer scrutiny of economic interests and companies contributing to wars.

The United Nations Human Rights Council is expected to release a list of companies operating in Israel’s settlements in the West Bank, which the UN considers illegal. Israel rejects that characterization.

As the voices calling for more stringent AI regulation get louder, other frontier technologies like quantum computing that are being advanced by enterprises like D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) could also come under scrutiny since concerns are already being raised about their potential to render current encryption systems obsolete.

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