In 1945, scientists utilized nuclear fission to create a nuclear explosion, marking the first time humanity developed a technology capable of its own destruction, with no guarantee that the dangers could be contained. Despite a global consensus that nuclear war can never be won and must never be fought, the world’s nuclear powers still maintain over 12,000 warheads. Recent advances in biotechnology and artificial intelligence make it increasingly likely that nuclear fission was just the first invention with the potential to cause mass destruction or civilizational collapse.

Biotechnology advancements offer tremendous potential to prevent disease, develop better medicines, and create effective countermeasures. However, these same technologies can also be misused to engineer biological weapons of mass destruction. Also, laboratories working on these risks may experience accidents that lead to the release of potential pandemic capable pathogens. Between 1979 to 2015, over 2,300 laboratory-acquired infections were reported across all biosafety levels–likely an underreported figure. The risk of a pandemic capable virus escaping from a pathogen research or storage facility, whether by accident or intent, is very real.

AI holds the promise to revolutionize industries and enhance lives, but it also presents serious risks, including AI-generated misinformation, mass surveillance, and the development of autonomous weapons. A major concern is whether humanity can retain control over systems that surpass human intelligence. While many experts and industry leaders agree that advanced AI could pose an existential threat, a small group of loosely regulated tech companies are racing to achieve artificial general intelligence in a high-stakes, winner takes all competition.