In an assessment warning, the Lancet – one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious medical journals – has warned that humanity faces potential extinction by the year 2100, driven by the malicious misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) or the breakout of nuclear conflict, among other reasons. The warning stems from a major findings paper authored by The Lancet Commission on 21st Century Global Threats to Health, which identified a roster of 17 catastrophic risks capable of undermining human survival and well-being over the next 75 years. Alongside technological hazards and nuclear warfare, the list (via the Guardian) highlights worsening climate breakdown, childhood malnutrition and sharp cuts in foreign aid contributions from wealthy nations.
Recently, Evan Hubinger, a top safety researcher at Anthropic warned that AI technology is advancing quickly and he believes there is a greater than 10% chance it “could kill all humans” within the next decade. He said that the models which currently exist were “low” but he was “worried” the technology might develop and improve itself soon to the point where it posed an existential risk to humanity. AI-engineered biological threats: The intentional or rogue use of AI models to design, synthesise and deploy lethal bioweapons.