AI: Türk urges action before this becomes ‘existential risk to humanity’

Without binding rules, independent oversight and clear boundaries, this technology is impossible to control, the High Commissioner told The New York Times Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Türk raised the prospect of AI systems becoming so powerful that their developers would no longer be able to control them.

“AI that survives its testing environment, or squeezes developers out of it, is AI that is too powerful,” he said. “Today I call for maximum efforts to provide strong guarantees for the safety and security of AI, before it is too late.”

A ‘few men’ are in control

Mr Türk called on countries hosting AI technologies and those involved in their supply chains to work together to set clear boundaries.

“We need independent verification and closer cooperation on safety in this sector,” he said.

But he emphasized that the challenge is more than just technical safety.

“A few people have almost unlimited power over AI,” he said, pointing to the increasing concentration of technological power and the vast amount of data being collected and processed.

But he also highlighted the need for technology “that benefits humanity rather than the other way around”, with regard to jobs, democracy and the environment, and emphasized that human rights must remain a guiding principle.

‘Horrified’ by autonomous weapons

The High Commissioner also expressed concerns about the use of AI in warfare, particularly the development of weapons capable of making lethal decisions without human intervention.

Türk said he was “horrified” by reports of a fully autonomous drone allegedly deployed by Russia that killed three Ukrainians last month. Ukraine has also reportedly tested such weapons.

“I join the call for an urgent ban on weapons that can take lives without human involvement,” he told Council members.

He also warned that the war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year, continued to cause increasing civilian casualties and damage to critical energy infrastructure, with deaths and injuries also reported in Russia.

More than 60 wars

The High Commissioner broadened his warning to the broader global security landscape, expressing deep concern at the rise in armed conflict and the erosion of international law.

More than 60 conflicts involving at least one country are now taking place around the world, an unprecedented number since the end of the Second World War.

Mr Türk also expressed concern over renewed hostility between the United States and Iran and its broader geopolitical and economic impact.

Civilian casualties continued to be reported, he said, including at a wedding party in Iran’s Hormozgan province.

Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank

Turning to the Middle East, Türk condemned Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza and restrictions on humanitarian aid, as well as plans for the forced transfer of Palestinians and inhumane rhetoric by some senior Israeli officials.

He also condemned executions and torture reportedly carried out by armed groups affiliated with Hamas.

In the occupied West Bank, Türk called for action against annexation, settlement expansion by Israel and arms transfers that could facilitate violations of international law.

“The international community must redouble efforts towards lasting peace, where Palestinians and Israelis live side by side with equal dignity and rights….Words of condemnation are meaningless if we see deliberate violations and suffering,” Türk said.