The UN urged to be prepared for the Terminator scenario with the participation of AI

The head of the coordination unit, the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies, Isabel de Sola Criado, on Friday called for being prepared for a scenario in which artificial intelligence turns against humans.

During the GDF 2026 Global Digital Forum, she was asked if she believed that AI could one day rebel against humans, similar to the Terminator movie scenario.

"I won't give an opinion on this because I'm not a scientist, but I would say that in the face of uncertainty, we must be prepared. We must have a plan in case something goes wrong," de Sola Criado said at the session "Global Dialogue on AI Ethics: Expert Forum on New Challenges."

Moreover, as she noted, AI presents completely new challenges, since previously there were no technologies capable of acting without human control.

“We need a red telephone somewhere where we can contact a person who has a button that can stop everything, and this is a metaphor from another time, but in fact this is what is happening behind the scenes,” stressed de Sola Criado.