Human rights risk being the first victims of the deployment of generative artificial intelligence, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned on Monday, warning of the negative potential of such systems.
“Generative AI has enormous potential but its use for purely political or economic purposes can manipulate, distort and divert attention,” said Volker Türk during a meeting in Geneva, noting that, “without adequate safeguards and regulations, AI systems could become a modern Frankenstein monster.”
“When powerful tech giants introduce new technologies, such as generative artificial intelligence, human rights can be the first victims,” he said.
“The threats to numerous human rights, including privacy, political participation, freedom of expression and the right to work, are clear and present,” he added.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned that current threats could “materialize in harms that undermine the promise of emerging technologies and trigger unpredictable consequences.”
“Governments have a responsibility to come together to avoid such an outcome,” he added.
Beyond generative AI, Türk highlighted the threat posed by the growing concentration of corporate power and the enormous “accumulation of personal and corporate wealth by a few.”
“In some cases, this exceeds the economies of entire countries,” said the UN official, who insisted that when “power is not limited by law, it can lead to abuse and subjugation.”