UN: Artificial Intelligence Could Pose a Threat to Humankind

Moscow (ANTARA) - Artificial intelligence (AI) could pose an existential threat to humankind and therefore needs to be addressed urgently, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Monday.

“I agree with the concerns of industry leaders that advanced AI could pose existential risks to humankind… I call for every effort to be made to ensure robust guarantees for the safety and security of AI before it is too late,” Türk said, according to a statement from his office.

Türk made the remarks during the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council.

He added that he would send a letter on the matter to all leading AI development companies in the coming days.

At the same time, Türk also highlighted that only a handful of people hold “almost unlimited power over AI”.

“At the very least, we need the countries where AI is developed and the countries involved in its supply chain to jointly agree on limits that must not be crossed,” said Türk.

In December 2025, the Chief Economist of the UN Development Programme’s (UNDP) Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau, Philip Schellekens, warned that the use of AI for military purposes could become an existential threat to humankind and cause large-scale loss of life.

Schellekens emphasised the need for highly responsible regulation to control the use of AI in the military sphere.

In January 2025, UN Secretary-General António Guterres also said that uncontrolled AI would become an existential threat, alongside climate change and nuclear weapons.

Source: Sputnik