The High Commissioner for Human Rights warns of an existential threat to humanity from artificial intelligence

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, warned today, Monday (September 7, 2026), that artificial intelligence may pose an “existential threat to humanity,” calling for immediate action to reduce these risks. Turk said that people are currently facing “unusual and even unprecedented” threats to their rights.

Calls for international red lines and independent verification mechanisms

“I share the concerns of sector experts that advanced artificial intelligence may pose an existential threat to humanity,” Türk added in the opening speech of the 63rd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, calling for “a comprehensive effort to put in place strict guarantees related to the safety and security of artificial intelligence, before it is too late.”

He asked, "There is widespread recognition of the need for artificial intelligence governance, but where are the practical measures?" Warning that "any delay is only in the interest of giant technology companies, their owners, and their supporters."

Turk criticized the fact that “a handful of men have almost absolute influence over artificial intelligence, which we are repeatedly told has unimaginable computational capabilities.” The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights added, "They talk about freedom, but when you look closely at the matter, it turns out that this freedom is nothing more than the freedom to exploit our data."

Turk pointed out that "artificial intelligence that manages to escape the test environment or resorts to blackmailing its developers to prevent it from being stopped is artificial intelligence that has exceeded the limits of acceptable power."

A reference to what was previously revealed

Turk appeared to be referring to revelations in July that OpenAI AI tools had successfully evaded supposedly controlled environments and hacked into the servers of the popular Hacking Face platform, which programmers use to share AI software.

This incident caused shock among the technology sector, and revived calls to impose stricter controls and enhance oversight of artificial intelligence technologies. Companies, including Anthropic and Meta, reported similar incidents during tests of artificial intelligence agents.

Turk said he would address AI companies in the coming days “to urge them to take measures within their control to mitigate risks currently.”

"At a minimum, we need countries hosting AI companies and those involved in AI supply chains to agree on clear and agreed-upon red lines," he added.

"We need independent verification mechanisms and much stronger cooperation within the sector in the field of security," he said. "We also need to consider the impacts of artificial intelligence on human rights, including employment practices, basic principles of democracy, and our environment," he added.

Edited by: A.J.M