UN human rights chief warns of 'handful of men' controlling AI

Spiralling conflicts, climate chaos and rapid technological transformation are fuelling polarization worldwide, warned UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk in Geneva on Monday.

"We live in an age of extremes," Türk told the opening meeting of the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council. He said such developments "make people feel disoriented and even powerless.,

But he noted that history is full of people who refused to accept their fate, successfully stood up to injustice and inequality, and collectively upheld the universal values at the foundation of humanity.

However, there are distinct dangers now in the handling of artificial intelligence (AI). "A handful of men has almost unlimited power over AI, which we are repeatedly told has unimaginable computing capacity," said Türk, without naming anyone.

"They talk about freedom, but on closer inspection, this turns out to be little more than the freedom to exploit our data," said the commissioner. He said he shared "the concerns of industry insiders that advanced AI could pose an existential risk to humanity."

He called for a comprehensive effort to establish safety restrictions: "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 commissioner would shortly write to AI companies to urge them to take the steps in their control to reduce risks now.