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AIQuiet 7d · day 13

MIT Technology Review answers reader questions on AI existential risk

A week of media coverage asking whether AI could end humanity culminates in a detailed reporter Q&A from a live subscriber event.

newest coverage 6d agosummary written 8d ago16 pieces6 likes & upvotes Hacker NewsYouTubeGoogle NewsNewswiresMastodon

What to know

  • A week-long wave of mainstream coverage (DW News, CNBC, Daily Express, The Guardian, Boston Globe, MIT Technology Review) has taken up the question of whether AI poses an existential risk to humanity.
  • The wave was prompted partly by public statements from Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Dario Amodei calling for slower, more cautious AI development.
  • MIT Technology Review's detailed Q&A concludes total human extinction from AI is implausible, but individual deaths from AI-enabled cyberattacks, weapons, or bioweapons are already plausible or occurring.
  • The story is largely a media-discourse cycle rather than a single triggering event; no new government action or industry announcement anchors it.

“imagine what Aum Shinrikyo, the doomsday cult behind the Tokyo subway sarin attack of 1995, would have done with a tool that could design a pathogen deadlier than Ebola and more transmissible than measles”

Will Douglas Heaven, senior AI editor, MIT Technology Review · MIT Technology Review ↗ · Sep 17

Elon MuskElon Musk AI industry figureSam AltmanSam Altman OpenAI CEODario AmodeiDario Amodei Anthropic CEOWill Douglas Heaven MIT Technology Review senior AI editorGrace Huckins MIT Technology Review AI reporterDave Jorgenson Video creator

MIT Technology Review answers reader questions on AI existential risk
technologyreview.com

How it unfolded 8 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesvideosposts

Peak 2 pieces in 3h at Sep 16, 11 PM; 16 pieces over 13 days (9 articles · 1 video · 6 posts) Sep 14, 8 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Hacker News 1Sep 14, 11 AM — quietSep 14, 2 PM — quietSep 14, 5 PM — quietSep 14, 8 PM — quietSep 14, 11 PM — quietSep 15, 2 AM — quietSep 15, 5 AM — quietSep 15, 8 AM — quietSep 15, 11 AM — 1 piece · 1 video — YouTube 1Sep 15, 2 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Sep 15, 5 PM — quietSep 15, 8 PM — quietSep 15, 11 PM — quietSep 16, 2 AM — quietSep 16, 5 AM — quietSep 16, 8 AM — quietSep 16, 11 AM — quietSep 16, 2 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Sep 16, 5 PM — quietSep 16, 8 PM — quietSep 16, 11 PM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Google News 2Sep 17, 2 AM — quietSep 17, 5 AM — quietSep 17, 8 AM — quietSep 17, 11 AM — quietSep 17, 2 PM — quietSep 17, 5 PM — quietSep 17, 8 PM — quietSep 17, 11 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Sep 18, 2 AM — quietSep 18, 5 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Sep 18, 8 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Hacker News 1Sep 18, 11 AM — quietSep 18, 2 PM — quietSep 18, 5 PM — quietSep 18, 8 PM — quietSep 18, 11 PM — quietSep 19, 2 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Hacker News 1Sep 19, 5 AM — quietSep 19, 8 AM — quietSep 19, 11 AM — quietSep 19, 2 PM — quietSep 19, 5 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 19, 8 PM — quietSep 19, 11 PM — quietSep 20, 2 AM — quietSep 20, 5 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Sep 20, 8 AM — quietSep 20, 11 AM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 5 PM — quietSep 20, 8 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 20, 11 PM — quietSep 21, 2 AM — quietSep 21, 5 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Sep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 11 AM — quietSep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 5 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 11 PM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — quietSep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietSep 23, 2 AM — quietSep 23, 5 AM — quietSep 23, 8 AM — quietSep 23, 11 AM — quietSep 23, 2 PM — quietSep 23, 5 PM — quietSep 23, 8 PM — quietSep 23, 11 PM — quietSep 24, 2 AM — quietSep 24, 5 AM — quietSep 24, 8 AM — quietSep 24, 11 AM — quietSep 24, 2 PM — quietSep 24, 5 PM — quietSep 24, 8 PM — quietSep 24, 11 PM — quietSep 25, 2 AM — quietSep 25, 5 AM — quietSep 25, 8 AM — quietSep 25, 11 AM — quietSep 25, 2 PM — quietSep 25, 5 PM — quietSep 25, 8 PM — quietSep 25, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quietToday, 8 AM — quietToday, 11 AM — quietToday, 2 PM — quiet 1–2345–78
Sep 15Sep 16Sep 17Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22Sep 23Sep 24Sep 25now · 3:49 PM ET
  1. 8

    MIT Tech Review's Q&A resurfaces on Hacker News

    The MIT Technology Review Q&A on AI extinction risk is separately resubmitted to Hacker News the next morning, extending the piece's reach.

    • ArthurZork@mstdn.party

      We asked AI how it could kill humanity. Here's what it told us. https:// tech.yahoo.com/ai/articles/ask ed-ai-could-kill-humanity-155428972.html?guccounter=2

      ArthurZork@mstdn.partyMastodon6d agoview on Mastodon ↗
  2. 7

    Video asking if AI will destroy civilization circulates on HN

    A video by Dave Jorgenson titled "Is AI going to destroy human civilization?" is submitted and discussed on Hacker News amid the same week's coverage.

  3. 6

    MIT Technology Review answers subscribers' AI-risk questions

    After a live Roundtables event for subscribers on whether AI could kill everyone, senior AI editor Will Douglas Heaven and reporter Grace Huckins publish a Q&A addressing the top unanswered audience questions.

    “There are no circumstances outside of apocalyptic science fiction in which AI could kill us all.”
    — Will Douglas Heaven, MIT Technology Review
    1. 1 outlet Could AI really kill us all? Your questions, answered.

      first by MIT Tech Review, 9d ago

  4. 5

    Boston Globe opinion argues AI could kill everyone

    An opinion piece in the Boston Globe lays out a scenario for how AI leads to mass death, adding to the week's commentary.

    1. 1 outlet Opinion | This is how AI kills us all

      first by The Boston Globe, 9d ago

  5. 4

    The Guardian solicits reader questions on AI extinction risk

    The Guardian opens a call for readers to submit questions to its tech reporters about whether AI could really end humanity.

    1. 1 outlet Could AI really end humanity? Post your questions for our tech reporters now

      first by The Guardian, 10d ago

  6. 3

    Daily Express catalogs professors' AI kill scenarios

    The tabloid lists ways academics say AI could kill people, part of the same week's wave of existential-risk coverage.

    1. 1 outlet Top professors list the ways AI could kill us all

      first by Daily Express, 11d ago

  7. 2

    CNBC surveys AI pioneers on extinction risk

    CNBC publishes a piece gathering views from people who built the technology on whether AI could really destroy humanity.

    1. 1 outlet Will AI really destroy humanity? Pioneers who created the tech weigh in

      first by CNBC, 11d ago

  8. 1

    DW News asks whether AI will destroy humanity

    DW News broadcasts a segment noting the rare alignment of Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Dario Amodei all calling for slower, more cautious AI development.

    “When Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Dario Amodei are all calling for slower, more cautious AI development, it's worth paying attention.”
    — DW News