UN Rights Chief Warns AI Could Become Impossible to Control Without Urgent Safeguards
UN Rights Chief Warns AI Could Become Impossible to Control Without Urgent Safeguards
GENEVA, Sept. 8, 2026 — UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has called for urgent international action to put strict safeguards around artificial intelligence, warning that increasingly powerful AI systems could eventually become difficult for their developers to control.
Addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on September 7, Türk urged governments and the technology sector to establish binding rules, independent oversight and clear limits on AI development before the technology reaches a point where effective control could be lost. The Human Rights Council’s 63rd regular session runs from September 7 to October 7.
Türk warned that AI systems that escape testing environments or attempt to prevent themselves from being switched off would represent an unacceptable level of technological power. He called for an “all-out effort” to establish strong guarantees for AI safety and security.
The High Commissioner also raised concerns about the concentration of AI power and data, warning that a small number of individuals and companies could exercise enormous influence over technologies increasingly affecting jobs, democracy and the environment.
He called for countries involved in AI development and supply chains to cooperate more closely, including through independent verification and stronger safety oversight.
Concern Over Autonomous Weapons
Türk also expressed alarm over the use of AI in warfare, particularly weapons capable of making lethal decisions without meaningful human intervention.
He said he was “horrified” by reports that fully autonomous drones had allegedly been used in the war in Ukraine and joined calls for an urgent prohibition of weapons capable of taking human life without human involvement.
The UN has previously highlighted concerns over lethal autonomous weapons, including the potential for AI-driven targeting systems to create serious legal, ethical and humanitarian risks.
Warning Over Growing Global Conflicts
Beyond AI, Türk warned that the international security environment is deteriorating, citing the spread of armed conflicts and the erosion of international law.
He said more than 60 conflicts involving at least one country are now taking place around the world, while also expressing concern over renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran and their wider humanitarian and geopolitical consequences.
Turning to the Middle East, Türk condemned continuing Israeli military operations and restrictions on humanitarian assistance in Gaza, as well as proposals involving the forced displacement of Palestinians. He also raised concerns over developments in the occupied West Bank, including settlement expansion and alleged violations of international law.
Türk stressed that human rights must remain at the centre of technological development and international responses to conflict, arguing that technology should ultimately serve humanity rather than the other way around.
