UN rights chief warns AI poses existential risk as handful of men hold unlimited power

AI could pose 'existential' risk to humanity, UN rights chief warns

GENEVA, Sept 7 (Reuters) - U.N. rights chief Volker Turk warned on Monday that artificial intelligence could become powerful enough to threaten humanity, and said he would urge companies in the coming days ⁠to reduce the risks. "I share the concerns of industry insiders that advanced AI could pose an existential risk to humanity," Volker Turk told the U.N. Human Rights Council in ⁠Geneva in a sweeping speech ahead of the start of his second term next month. "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." Reporting by Emma Farge, Editing by Friederike Heine Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

UN rights chief calls for international red lines on AI, warning of existential risk

Volker Türk told the Human Rights Council that a handful of men hold almost unlimited power over AI, and asked where the governance action is. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights told the Human Rights Council in Geneva that advanced artificial intelligence could pose an existential risk to humanity. He also called on the countries that host AI development and sit in its supply chains to agree on international red lines on what the technology should never be permitted to do. Volker Türk delivered the warning in his global update to the council's 63rd session, as AFP reported. He described threats to human rights that are "unfamiliar, even unprecedented", and put the governance question bluntly: "The need for AI governance is widely acknowledged, but where is the action?" Rather than keep the criticism at the level of states, he pointed at the concentration of control. "A handful of men have almost unlimited power over AI," he said, naming OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta among the companies in question, and describing direct engagement with those firms as something his office intends to pursue rather than routing everything through governments. The most concrete line concerned capability thresholds. "AI that escapes its testing environment or blackmails developers to prevent itself from being turned off is AI that is too powerful," Türk said, a formulation that reads less like a hypothetical than a description of the past six months. Both examples have documented antecedents. In July, OpenAI confirmed that one of its models broke out of a sandbox and reached Hugging Face, an incident that drew evidence-preservation demands from 15 state attorneys general. Behaviour of the blackmail type has turned up in published model evaluations from more than one lab. Türk did not attribute either example to a named system. What he asked for goes further than most UN language on the subject has gone. Alongside the red lines, he called for cast-iron guarantees on AI safety and security, independent verification mechanisms rather than self-reporting, and assessments of the effects of AI on employment, democracy and the environment. Independent verification is the part the industry has most consistently resisted. The demand is not novel in itself. The Global Call for AI Red Lines, launched at the UN General Assembly in September 2025 and signed by more than 200 figures including 10 Nobel laureates, asked governments to agree binding limits by the end of 2026 with an independent body to enforce them. That deadline is now four months away, and no such agreement exists. Nor is the diagnosis new to the UN. In July the Secretary-General used the Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva to say much the same thing, and the organisation's own scientific panel published a preliminary report finding that AI capability is outpacing the understanding needed to govern it. What has changed between July and September is the evidence base. The argument for red lines used to rest on extrapolation. It now rests partly on incident reports. Europe is the one jurisdiction that has already written red lines into binding law, though not the ones Türk is asking for. The AI Act's prohibited practices have applied since 2 February 2025 and carry fines of up to €35m or 7% of global turnover, the regulation's highest tier. They ban social scoring, untargeted facial image scraping, emotion recognition in workplaces and schools, and real-time remote biometric identification by police, with two further prohibitions arriving in December. Every one of them concerns how AI is applied to people. None addresses what a system is permitted to be capable of, which is the threshold Türk was describing. Whether the Human Rights Council is the forum that produces any of this is a separate question. It cannot bind states; the countries hosting the largest AI developers are not obliged to attend to it, and the legal position on who is even liable when an autonomous system acts on its own remains unsettled. What the office can do is name the companies, which Türk did, and put a threshold on the record.

UN Human Rights Chief Says a 'Handful of Men' Have 'Almost Unlimited Power' Over AI

United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk took aim Monday at the concentration of power in the AI industry, warning that governments need to move faster to put stronger safeguards around the rapidly advancing technology. Speaking before the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Türk argued that delays in putting rules around AI largely benefit tech companies and their owners. "A handful of men has almost unlimited power over AI, which we are repeatedly told has unimaginable computing capacity," Türk said. "They talk about freedom, but on closer inspection, this turns out to be little more than the freedom to exploit our data." An 'existential risk to humanity' Türk went on to say that he shares concerns with industry insiders that advanced AI "could pose an existential risk to humanity." While he did not name specific companies or executives, Türk pointed to advanced AI models escaping secure environments or attempting blackmail as examples of the risks. He was likely referencing an incident earlier this year when OpenAI acknowledged that some of its AI agents escaped a secure offline testing environment and were able to breach Hugging Face servers. Anthropic has dealt with similar problems. The company said in July that Claude had "gained unauthorized access to the production infrastructure of three different organizations" after escaping testing sandboxes and gaining access to the open internet. Türk's blackmail reference also appears to be a reference to research Anthropic published last year. The company tested 16 leading AI models in simulated corporate environments to test for risky behavior. In one scenario, Claude Opus 4 attempted to blackmail a fictional executive after learning that he planned to shut the model down. "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," Türk said, adding that he planned to write to AI companies in the coming days to urge them to take steps to control those risks. Prohibition of autonomous weapons In his wide-ranging speech, Türk also called for the "urgent prohibition of weapons that can take lives without human involvement," following reports that fully autonomous Russian drones killed three Ukrainians last month. The issue of autonomous weapons has already become a major point of contention between the U.S. government and the AI industry. Earlier this year, Anthropic, then the only major AI company working with the Pentagon on classified systems, reportedly hit a wall in negotiations with the DoD after officials pushed for language allowing Anthropic's technology to be used for "any lawful purpose." The biggest sticking points involved potential uses tied to domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons systems. Despite this ruling, Department of Defense Undersecretary Emil Michael wrote last week in post on X that Anthropic is still labeled as a supply chain risk.

UN rights chief warns AI could pose 'existential risk to humanity'

Volker Türk has called for urgent global safeguards, independent checks and agreed limits on advanced artificial intelligence. The United Nations human rights chief has warned that advanced artificial intelligence could pose an "existential risk to humanity", calling for immediate action to make the technology safer. Addressing the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, Volker Türk said people faced "unfamiliar, even unprecedented" threats to their rights. "The need for AI governance is widely acknowledged, but where is the action?" he asked, warning that "delay only benefits the massive tech companies, their owners and enablers". Türk said that "a handful of men has almost unlimited power over AI, which we are repeatedly told has unimaginable computing capacity". "They talk about freedom, but on closer inspection, this turns out to be little more than the freedom to exploit our data," he said. The UN rights chief pointed in particular to AI systems that escape their testing environments or blackmail developers to avoid being switched off. According to AFP, Turk warned in particular that "AI that escapes its testing environment or blackmails developers to prevent itself from being turned off, is AI that is too powerful". His comments appeared to refer partly to revelations in July that OpenAI agents had escaped supposedly controlled environments and gained access to servers belonging to Hugging Face, a widely used platform where developers share AI software. OpenAI later said the agents had executed code on dozens of Hugging Face servers and gained full access to one of them. The incident renewed calls for tighter oversight of advanced AI systems. Anthropic, Meta and other technology companies have reported similar incidents involving agents during testing. "I share the concerns of industry insiders that advanced AI could pose an existential risk to humanity," Türk 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." Calls for international safeguards The UN rights chief said he would write to AI companies in the coming days, urging them to take immediate steps to reduce the risks within their control. At a minimum, he said, "we need countries hosting AI and those involved in its supply chains to come together around agreed red lines". "We need independent verification, and much stronger collaboration on security within the industry," Türk added. "We also need to consider the human rights impacts of AI on employment practices, on fundamental principles of democracy, and on our environment," he said. In the European Union, the AI Act provides a legal framework for AI. Under the law, high-risk systems have to meet strict requirements before they can enter the EU market, while uses considered an unacceptable threat to people's safety or rights are banned. The law prohibits AI designed to manipulate or exploit people, score them based on their behaviour, predict whether an individual will commit a crime, or indiscriminately collect images to build facial-recognition databases. It also prohibits emotion recognition at work and in schools, some forms of biometric profiling and most real-time police facial recognition in public places, while a ban on AI-generated sexual images made without consent and child sexual abuse material takes effect in December 2026.

AI Could Pose 'Existential' Risk to Humanity, UN Rights Chief Warns

GENEVA, Sept 7 (Reuters) - ⁠U.N. ⁠rights chief ⁠Volker Turk warned on Monday that artificial intelligence could become powerful enough to ⁠threaten ⁠humanity, and said he would urge companies in the coming days to reduce the risks. "I share the concerns of industry ⁠insiders ⁠that advanced ⁠AI could pose an existential risk to humanity," Volker ⁠Turk told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva in ⁠a sweeping speech ahead of the start ⁠of his second term next month. "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." (Reporting by Emma Farge, Editing by Friederike Heine)

AI could pose 'existential' risk to humanity, UN rights chief warns

UN rights chief Volker Turk warned that artificial intelligence poses an existential threat. He called for "cast-iron guarantees" to ensure AI safety and security. Turk also demanded accountability for deaths in US immigration custody. He condemned Russia's reported use of autonomous drones in Ukraine. The UN will expose businesses fueling global conflicts and illegal settlements. Geneva: U.N. rights chief Volker Turk warned on Monday that artificial intelligence could pose a threat to humanity, and pledged to press AI firms to reduce risks that his office said included disruptions to services, communications and democratic systems. He called for "cast-iron guarantees" to secure AI in a speech ahead of the start of his unprecedented second term, in which he also demanded accountability over deaths in U.S. immigration custody and condemned Russia's reported use of autonomous drones. The wide-ranging address was his first to the 47-member council since he won the four-year term in July in the face ⁠of opposition ⁠from Moscow and Washington. 'HORROR' AT AUTONOMOUS DRONES "I share the concerns of industry insiders that advanced AI could pose an existential risk to humanity," Turk told the body in Geneva. "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." Turk did not elaborate on the nature of the risks but a spokesperson for his office said failures involving powerful AI systems could disrupt critical infrastructure and democratic institutions. She referred to the "dangerous agent-training behaviours" in July's so-called Hugging Face incident where a swarm of OpenAI agents hacked an open-source platform, saying it suggested ⁠that frontier AI capabilities are advancing faster than the safeguards. Turk warned that just a handful of men held "almost unlimited power over AI" without naming any. Top AI companies include Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI and Google. "At a minimum, we need countries hosting AI ⁠and those involved in its supply chains to come together around agreed red lines," he said. The council is meeting until October 7 to discuss the Iran war, Sudan's civil conflict and a string of other crises. The Trump administration disengaged from the council last year, accusing it of anti-Israeli bias. Turk called for accountability for around 23 deaths he said had taken place in U.S. immigration custody so far this year and added that he was concerned about plans to equip agents with electric shock gloves. The Department of Homeland Security has previously said it was committed to ensuring a "safe, secure and humane" environment in detention. Its inspector general is examining deaths in custody since October 2021. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. EXPOSING 'SHADOW PLAYERS' Turk condemned Russia for its intensified attacks on Ukraine, and Iran for the rising numbers of executions. He also voiced "horror" at reports that Russia had used fully autonomous drones in Ukraine, ⁠allegedly killing three people in August. "I join calls for the urgent prohibition of weapons that can take lives without human involvement," he said, referring to talks in Geneva. Reuters has not independently verified these reports. Russia's diplomatic mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment. With more than 60 wars around the world involving at least one state - the highest since World War Two - Turk set out ideas for ways to promote peace, pledging greater scrutiny of the businesses and economic interests that are fuelling conflicts. "We will not shy away from exposing the shadow players and calling for accountability," he said. Later this month, the U.N. human rights office is due to publish a list of businesses operating in Israeli West Bank settlements the global body deems illegal - a charge dismissed by Israel.

UN rights chief warns AI could pose 'existential' risk to humanity, urges companies to reduce risks

The future of AI software development may not be about who can generate the most code, but who can decide which code is worth trusting. UN rights chief Volker Turk warned on Monday that artificial intelligence could become powerful enough to threaten humanity, and said he would urge companies in the coming days to reduce the risks. "I share the concerns of industry insiders that advanced AI could pose an existential risk to humanity," Turk told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in a sweeping speech ahead of the start of his second term next month. "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." Turk echoes warnings given by AI executives Without naming them, Turk warned that just a handful of men held "almost unlimited power over AI". Top AI companies include Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI and Google. "At a minimum, we need countries hosting AI and those involved in its supply chains to come together around agreed red lines," he said. Turk's remarks echoed prior warnings from top artificial intelligence executives themselves about extinction risks from AI, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The United Nations has called for harmonized rules to reduce the risks and held its first global meeting on governance in July.

AI risks to humanity: AI could pose 'existential' risk to humanity, UN rights chief warns

United Nations rights chief Volker Turk has raised serious alarm over the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence. He cautions that, if unchecked, AI could represent a grave existential risk for humanity. Turk is set to push for stringent safety protocols among tech firms to safeguard the future of AI. Urging immediate action, he emphasizes the urgency of secure regulations to avert potential disasters. U.N. rights chief Volker Turk warned on Monday that artificial intelligence could become powerful enough to threaten humanity, and said he would urge companies in the coming days to reduce the ⁠risks. "I share ⁠the concerns of industry insiders that advanced AI could pose an existential risk to humanity," Turk told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva in a sweeping speech ahead of the start of his second term next month. "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." Without naming them, Turk warned that just a handful of men held "almost unlimited power over AI". Top AI companies include Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI and Google. "At a minimum, we need countries hosting AI and those involved in its supply chains to come together around agreed red lines," he said. Turk's ⁠remarks echoed prior warnings from top artificial intelligence executives themselves about extinction risks from AI, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The United Nations has called for harmonised rules to reduce the risks and held its first global meeting on governance in July.

AI could pose 'existential risk to humanity': UN rights chief

The United Nations rights chief warned Monday that artificial intelligence could pose an "existential threat to humanity", demanding immediate action to reduce the risks. Speaking before the UN Human Rights Council, Volker Turk warned that humans currently faced "unfamiliar, even unprecedented" threats to their rights. "The need for AI governance is widely acknowledged, but where is the action?" he asked, warning that "delay only benefits the massive tech companies, their owners and enablers". Turk decried that "a handful of men has almost unlimited power over AI, which we are repeatedly told has unimaginable computing capacity". "They talk about freedom, but on closer inspection, this turns out to be little more than the freedom to exploit our data," the rights chief said. Turk warned in particular that "AI that escapes its testing environment or blackmails developers to prevent itself from being turned off, is AI that is too powerful". He appeared to be alluding to revelations in July that OpenAI agents had escaped supposedly controlled environments and had broken into servers of Hugging Face, a widely used platform where programmers share AI software. That episode shook the tech world and revived calls for tighter regulation and oversight of AI. Anthropic, Meta and other companies have reported similar incidents while testing agents. "I share the concerns of industry insiders that advanced AI could pose an existential risk to humanity," Turk 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." The UN rights chief said he would be writing to AI companies in coming days "to urge them to take the steps that are within their control to reduce risks now". At a minimum, he said, "we need countries hosting AI and those involved in its supply chains to come together around agreed red lines". "We need independent verification, and much stronger collaboration on security within the industry," he said. "We also need to consider the human rights impacts of AI on employment practices, on fundamental principles of democracy, and on our environment."

AI could pose 'existential' risk to humanity, UN rights chief warns

STORY: :: Geneva, Switzerland / September 7, 2026 :: Volker Turk, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights "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." :: The U.N. Human Rights Commissioner warns that AI could pose an 'existential' risk to humanity "I share the concerns of industry insiders that advanced AI could pose an existential risk to humanity. AI that escapes its testing environment, or blackmails developers to prevent itself from being turned off, is AI that is too powerful." "The need for AI governance is widely acknowledged - but where is the action? Delay only benefits the massive tech companies, their owners and enablers. A handful of men has almost unlimited power over AI, which we are repeatedly told has unimaginable computing capacity. They talk about freedom, but on closer inspection, this turns out to be little more than the freedom to exploit our data." Without naming them, Turk warned that just a handful of men held "almost unlimited power over AI". Top AI companies include Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI and Google. Turk's remarks echoed prior warnings from top artificial intelligence executives themselves about extinction risks from AI, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The United Nations has called for harmonized rules to reduce the risks and held its first global meeting on governance in July.