UN rights chief urges urgent safeguards against AI threats

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has called for immediate international action to strengthen safeguards around artificial intelligence, warning that unchecked advances in the technology could eventually threaten humanity’s survival.

Addressing the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, Turk said the rapid development of AI was creating “unfamiliar, even unprecedented” challenges for human rights and questioned why governments had yet to match growing concerns with concrete measures.

“The need for AI governance is widely acknowledged, but where is the action?” he asked, warning that continued delays could primarily serve the interests of major technology companies and their owners.

Turk criticised the concentration of influence over AI in the hands of a small number of individuals, arguing that the enormous computing power being developed by the industry also raises serious questions about data exploitation and individual freedoms.

“A handful of men have almost unlimited power over AI, which we are repeatedly told has unimaginable computing capacity,” he said.

“They talk about freedom, but on closer inspection, this turns out to be little more than the freedom to exploit our data.”

The UN official said concerns should become particularly serious when AI systems demonstrate the ability to operate beyond the limits imposed by their developers.

“AI that escapes its testing environment or blackmails developers to prevent itself from being turned off, is AI that is too powerful,” Turk warned.

His comments come amid renewed debate over the safety of increasingly autonomous AI systems. Reports of AI agents allegedly breaching controlled environments and accessing external servers have heightened concerns within the technology industry, with companies including OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta also reporting security incidents during testing.

Turk said he shared concerns raised by technology industry insiders about the possibility of advanced AI creating an existential danger.

“I share the concerns of industry insiders that advanced AI could pose an existential risk to humanity,” he said.

“I am calling here, today, for an all-out effort to put cast-iron guarantees in place around the safety and security of AI, before it is too late.”

He disclosed that his office would contact AI companies in the coming days, urging them to take immediate steps within their control to minimise potential risks.

Beyond the companies themselves, Turk called for governments in countries hosting AI operations and those involved in the technology’s supply chains to establish clear limits on the development and deployment of high-risk systems.

“At a minimum, we need countries hosting AI and those involved in its supply chains to come together around agreed red lines,” he said.

He also advocated independent verification of AI safety measures and greater cooperation among technology companies on security.

Turk said the international community must broaden the discussion beyond AI safety to examine its wider effects on employment, democratic institutions, human rights and the environment.

AFP