King Charles: AI Could Gain Power to Take Human Lives

King Charles III told senior AI company executives on Thursday that artificial intelligence may develop "darker capabilities; perhaps even capability to take human lives," and said protective measures must be put in place before it is too late.

The warning came during a private meeting he hosted with some of the sector's leading figures and senior UK officials. The king told attending technology chiefs that "people who created these technologies are now more than ever warning that AI is at risk of developing darker capabilities; perhaps even capability to take human lives." He added, "in this respect, if I may say, it seems urgent to properly examine the existential risks posed by these technologies falling into the wrong hands and being used in potentially catastrophic ways."

Who attended and the context of the meeting

Attendees included Jensen Huang, chief executive of Nvidia; several executives from OpenAI and Anthropic; Kanishka Narayan, the new UK minister for artificial intelligence; and the head of the country's foreign intelligence service. Paolo Benanti, a papal adviser on AI, was also present. The meeting was private and took place on Thursday.

The remarks are notable because the British royal family traditionally refrains from entering deeply into political debate for constitutional reasons, while AI remains one of the most contested global issues today. The king described the rapid development of AI as both compelling and deeply worrying.

Safety concerns and a recent resignation

The king's comments followed the resignation of a researcher at Anthropic who cited security concerns. In an online post the researcher wrote that AI companies are "competing to build machines far smarter than any human" and warned that "humanity may not survive this."

King Charles concluded by urging leaders to find ways to harness AI's positive aspects and to build international cooperation and consensus to achieve that aim.