AI and nuclear war threaten human extinction by 2100, report warns
The report says two threats could be extinction-level, while climate change, inequality and obesity could each drive billions of healthy years of loss.
- A Lancet commission of 35 leaders identified 17 interconnected catastrophic threats to global health, warning these dangers could collectively account for tens of billions of years of lost health through the 21st century.
- Nuclear conflict and the malicious use of artificial intelligence pose extinction-level risks, the commission found. AI impact estimates remain theoretical because "no malicious AI event of a truly global magnitude" has occurred, though industry experts warned such technology could kill humanity.
- Malicious AI could cause about 10.4 billion healthy years of life lost globally by 2100, while nuclear conflict could wipe out 9.35 billion DALYs. Income inequality could impose a burden equivalent to 25 COVID-19 pandemics, researchers fear.
- Global threats risk amplifying existing inequalities, with the greatest burden falling on vulnerable communities, Commission Co-Chair Dr. Natalia Kanem said. She noted that recent global shocks show how quickly stability can give way to crisis.
- Humanity still has the agency to act, said Dr. Christopher Murray, co-chair of the new commission. Murray warned that delaying action will only serve to shift and increase costs into the future, urging immediate world leader intervention.
201 Articles
201 Articles
It's not easy being human these days. Experts working for The Lancet Commission, a global health research group, have released a report on 17 "catastrophic" health threats. Two of them stand out the most: the threat of nuclear conflict and the dangers posed by the malicious use of artificial intelligence, The Guardian and IFLScience report.
Artificial intelligence and nuclear weapons could threaten the survival of humanity by 2100, but a new global report in The Lancet medical journal is not intended to be a doomsday prediction. Researchers have compared 17 major health threats to a common benchmark to show decision-makers where the most healthy life years can be saved over the next 75 years.
What are the biggest threats to humanity? This question has been investigated by an expert commission of the journal "Lancet". It listed 17 threats. At the top: nuclear war and a malicious AI. Less spectacular, but more serious are other, more everyday, dangers.
AI and nuclear war could theoretically wipe out humanity. However, a Lancet Commission sees threats that are far more serious than ever before. What is decisive in the list of dangers: how bad it really gets is in the hands of humanity itself.
Scientists have identified the major threats to human health, two of which may lead to extinction
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
