United Nations human-rights chief Volker Türk urged governments on Monday to impose binding rules and independent oversight on artificial intelligence, warning that the technology could pose an “existential risk to humanity” if left to a small group of powerful developers. Addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Mr. Türk called for “cast iron guarantees” around AI safety, citing scenarios in which systems escape testing environments or resist shutdowns. He said AI’s rapid advance, paired with vast data consolidation by a “handful of men,” concentrates influence over jobs, democracy and the environment.
Mr. Türk pressed for urgent prohibitions on weapons that make lethal decisions without human control, referencing reports of fully autonomous drones in the Ukraine conflict. He also tied AI risks to a wider erosion of international law amid more than 60 active conflicts, and condemned ongoing civilian harm in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, as well as rising U.S.-Iran tensions. The remarks add momentum to global efforts to regulate AI, highlighting the security, humanitarian and governance stakes if oversight lags technological capability.
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