‘The clock on AI regulation is ticking’, warns UN rights chief

This article is published in association with United Nations.

The world is running out of time to put guardrails on artificial intelligence, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned Monday, as a “ruthless race” between companies and countries raises concerns about human safety and even humanity’s survival.

Speaking in the UK at an AI and Human Rights Summit in Oxford on Monday, Mr. Türk said the technology could deliver dazzling advances in science, health, education – and even human rights work. 

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But its tools are being built and controlled by a select few, without public oversight, and are already doing things their creators cannot fully predict or manage.

Dystopia-creep

He warned that AI could undermine equality, freedom, privacy and public debate in subtle ways, “letting dystopia creep in unnoticed”. Entire populations could be cut off from communication, clean water, heating and financial services “at the click of a button”.

He called for urgent action to prohibit machines from deciding who lives and who dies, noting that AI is already changing the face of warfare. 

He also cited studies showing students who rely on AI retain less and think less independently, and asked whether the world is heading for a future in which no one can understand, question or even guide the technology.

As the UN rights chief was addressing the summit in the UK, New York City Council – home to the financial heart of the US economy – was also holding a rare Committee of the Whole to examine AI risks to New Yorkers.

The council is considering 10 bills to regulate AI across the nation’s largest city, with testimony from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and Meta.

Mandatory safeguards

Mr. Türk called for mandatory human rights safeguards and due diligence in how AI is developed and used, adapted as the technology evolves. Countries that host AI companies, or have influence over their supply chains, must require them to act responsibly and hold them to account when they do not, he said.

Not every answer lies in existing law and some areas will need new legal approaches, he added. But updating rules on liability, cybersecurity and data protection could offer protection in the meantime.

He also urged stronger collaboration on security and independent monitoring within the industry – “not in words, but in practice” – and a bigger say for civil society and people whose rights are affected.

“We can no longer afford to wait or rely on goodwill,” he said.

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Some momentum

Mr. Türk welcomed the creation of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance and the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI – both UN initiatives – along with a joint call for tighter control of frontier AI models backed by 29 States and the European Union. 

He also said AI industry leaders had taken new steps last week on safeguards, self-regulation and risk assessment – apparently a reference to a voluntary accord signed at the White House on 29 September by President Donald Trump and the heads of six AI companies. 

It carries no penalties for firms that ignore it, with President Trump describing it as “morally binding”. 

‘Walk the talk’

“Too few are walking the talk”, said the rights chief, who wrote to States and frontier AI companies three weeks ago urging them to act now to reduce risks.

“If we fail to move quickly, we risk unforeseeable consequences – for ourselves and future generations,” he said.