Artificial intelligence is showing up everywhere these days—from smartphones and laptops to washing machines and refrigerators—and so is public anxiety about it. That unease has recently spiked after a researcher at the AI company Anthropic suggested that advanced AI systems could wipe out humanity as soon as 2030, a claim that has reignited debate just as Washington and Beijing compete openly for control of the technology.
On Monday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk added his voice to the growing chorus of concern, stating that “all human rights are at risk, including the rights to life, food, privacy, health and security,” because of how quickly AI is advancing. He called on governments and companies to act urgently through multilateral cooperation, warning that the world is on the verge of an irreversible shift that will affect not just people today, but future generations as well.
Türk described the current race to build ever more powerful AI systems as a dangerous leap toward greater existential risk across every part of daily life. His comments follow warnings from tech workers inside the AI industry itself, who have urged companies to slow down development. Meanwhile, the United States continues pushing for looser regulation, while China favors a more “open” approach to deploying the technology, including in military and financial applications—deepening the divide between the world’s two AI superpowers.
Curious about the full details? Check out the original report at eltiempo.com.
Source: ¿Qué hay detrás de los temores de que la IA extinguirá a la humanidad para 2030? Claves de advertencias de la ONU (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: ₡ґǘșϯγ Ɗᶏ Ⱪᶅṏⱳդ, CC0 1.0 (via Openverse).