Comment on Doomsday Clock at 2 Minutes to Midnight

25 January 2018

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has changed the Doomsday Clock to 2 minutes to midnight, the closest it has been since 1953.

Several risks from technology or man-made activity could credibly lead to civilizational collapse or human extinction. Nuclear weapons, climate change and pandemics remain key threats. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and biotechnologies promise great benefits but also pose novel dangers. 

Sean O hÉigeartaigh, Executive Director of the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, said:

"We are not powerless in the face of these risks. Technologists, academics, policy-makers and citizens can work together to reduce them. This is a high-profile warning from a well-established and distinguished organisation - it must not be ignored."

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists publishes valuable analyses and commentary on emerging global threats from a network of leading experts, including CSER research leader Catherine Rhodes and CSER research affiliate and Executive Director of GCRI Seth Baum.

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