Human rights are ‘seriously threatened’ by artificial intelligence, says UN

The UN is worried. Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) represent a serious threat to human rights, warned the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Saturday February 18. “I am deeply disturbed by the potential for harm from recent advances in artificial intelligence”said Volker Türk, in a brief press release, before calling for the establishment of “effective safeguards”.

“Human dignity and all human rights are seriously threatened.”

Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

in a press release

The High Commissioner launched “an urgent call to businesses and governments to quickly develop effective safeguards”. “We will follow this case closely, we will bring our specific expertise and we will ensure that the human rights dimension remains central to the development of this case”, he assured. This week, dozens of countries, including the United States and China, urged regulation of the development and use of artificial intelligence in the military, citing the risks of “unintended consequences”.

AI is also infusing our daily lives, from smartphones to health and safety. It has become the new battleground of the web giants, Microsoft having taken a step ahead by betting billions on ChatGPT. Artificial intelligence promises a revolution in internet research and other uses yet to be invented. But experts warn that it also presents risks (violations of privacy, biased algorithms, etc.) that will require regulation, which is difficult to put in place as these technologies progress rapidly.