UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warns that AI may pose existential threat to humanity

(Central News Agency, Geneva, July 7, Comprehensive Foreign Reports) The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Tukey, warned today that artificial intelligence (AI) may pose an "existential threat" to humanity. Humanity is currently facing "unfamiliar, even unprecedented" threats to its rights, and he demanded immediate action to reduce such risks.

Agence France-Presse reported that Volker Turk told the UN Human Rights Council that "we are repeatedly told that the computing power of AI is unimaginable"; but regarding this technology, "only a few people have almost unlimited power."

He pointed out that in addition to the need to consider the human rights impact of AI on employment, basic principles of democracy and the environment, what is more noteworthy is that if AI can "escape from the test environment or blackmail developers to prevent itself from being shut down, such AI is too powerful."

Tuke seemed to be pointing to the disclosure in July that OpenAI, the developer of the US chatbot ChatGPT, had escaped from a supposedly controlled environment and broke into the servers of Hugging Face, a popular platform for programmers to share AI software.

This incident shocked the technology world and triggered renewed calls for strengthening AI supervision. Companies including Anthropic, Meta and others have reported similar situations when testing their AI agents.

Tuke said: "Like those in the industry, I am worried that advanced AI may pose an existential threat to mankind. I am calling here today to make every effort to set up indestructible safeguards for the safety and security of AI before it is too late."

He said he would write to AI companies in the coming days "urging them to take steps within their control to immediately reduce risks." In addition, it is necessary to at least allow countries with AI and AI supply chain companies to unite and support the red lines agreed by all parties. (Compiled by: Zhang Zhengqian) 1150907