A new global risk assessment says humanity could face extinction by 2100 from malicious use of artificial intelligence or nuclear conflict.
According to The Lancet Commission on 21st Century Global Threats to Health, the two risks stand out as the only threats identified as carrying potential extinction-level consequences
Extinction Risks Top a List of 17 Threats
The 35-member commission modeled healthy years lost to sickness, disability or early death, a measure known as disability-adjusted life years (Dalys).
“Malicious use of AI, including bioweapons, and nuclear conflict with nuclear famine carry risks of extinction in the next 75 years,” the report said. It noted the likelihood remains low.
Other “major catastrophic threats,” each exceeding 1 billion cumulative Dalys, include air pollution, antimicrobial resistance, climate breakdown, obesity and declining overseas aid.
Global Health Aid Cuts, Climate Change Threaten Billions of Healthy Life Years
The commission said cuts by major donors, including the U.S. and U.K., could cost up to 1.5 billion Dalys before 2100. Nearly 70% of that burden would fall on sub-Saharan Africa.
Limiting global heating to about 1.8°C rather than 4.4°C could prevent 1.89 billion years of healthy life lost, according to the report.
According to an accompanying Lancet editorial, published alongside the report cited by The Guardian, “The scale of harm, should they be realised, would inflict an apocalypse on humanity.”
Last month, billionaire Mark Cuban asked Grok, the chatbot owned by Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX), whether AI or climate change is likelier to cause human extinction within 25 years.
Grok put the risk from AI at about 3% and from climate change at 0.001%, saying people could adapt to warming through technology and migration.
Earlier, in August, Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said sustainable energy alone may not be enough to address long-term extinction risks and suggested space-based satellites and large-scale geoengineering could eventually be needed.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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