UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Calls for Urgent Action to Regulate Artificial Intelligence

Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on states and companies on Monday to act urgently to regulate cutting-edge artificial intelligence models, warning that the technology poses unprecedented risks to human rights and society. He called for the definition of an international strategy within multilateral forums. He drew attention to the fact that the accelerated development of AI could affect the rights to life, food, privacy, health, and safety. The High Commissioner warned that humanity is on the threshold of an irreversible change and criticized the dependence on a small number of powerful companies for decisions concerning the future of the technology.

The warnings come amid an increasingly intense debate over the pace of AI development. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei recently advocated slowing progress to allow for better risk assessment, receiving support from Sam Altman and Elon Musk. Donald Trump and other Republican figures, however, opposed such a measure.

According to Volker Türk, agentic AI systems, capable of autonomously carrying out tasks, could disrupt essential services, communications, and critical infrastructure. He also warned about the effects on democratic institutions, armed conflicts, and mechanisms protecting against the launch of weapons of mass destruction.