UN: Uncontrolled advancement of AI could pose an existential risk to humanity

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, warned today of the urgent need to develop governance for artificial intelligence, stating that it could pose an existential risk to humanity.

“Artificial intelligence that escapes its testing environment or blackmails programmers to avoid deactivation is too powerful an artificial intelligence,” Türk said at the opening of the 63rd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, calling for “strong safeguards regarding the safety of artificial intelligence, while it is not too late.”

“A handful of people have almost unlimited power over artificial intelligence, which we are constantly told possesses unimaginable computing power. They talk about freedom, but upon closer inspection, it turns out to be little more than the freedom to exploit our data,” Türk said.

“Artificial intelligence that manipulates people is already a reality. The latest generative models of artificial intelligence no longer just follow orders and go so far as to lie, scheme, or threaten to achieve their goals, which has greatly concerned some researchers,” assessed the senior UN official.

Türk announced that in the coming days he will write to companies in the sector “to urge them to take measures within their power to reduce risks.”

“We need independent verification and much closer cooperation regarding safety within the industry,” Türk said, calling for consideration of “the impact of artificial intelligence on employment practices, essential democratic principles, and the environment.”