The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has an established ritual: updating the time of the so-called “Doomsday Clock”, the “Doomsday Clock”. The group of scientists from the University of Chicago, the moral “heirs” of the Manhattan Project, regularly analyzes the threats to the world and adjusts the hands of this instrument depending on the approach of the catastrophe, which is summarized in midnight. In 1991 there were still 17 minutes until midnight. A positive sign, since after years in which the Cold War had brought the hands dangerously closer to the fateful hour, it was the furthest away from catastrophe. And the end of the Soviet Union and the possibility of a new world without the clash between the two poles led Chicago scientists to believe that the danger, if not completely averted, was at least more distant.
Over time, however, these dreams have often turned into hopes, unfortunately apparently in vain. The world has not been as peaceful as the research group had expected, and recently the dangers seem to have increased exponentially. So much so that today, just like in 2023, the hands of the doomsday clock are standing 90 seconds from the point of no return. For the scientists involved in the project, the risks to the Earth's population are of different nature. For example, in recent years the role of climate change has increased, which scientists see as an increasingly significant problem. But in the last two years two have been added Conflicts with still unclear contours: the war in Ukraine involving the Russian nuclear power and the war in Gaza, which is feared to lead to a potentially uncontrollable regional escalation.
To these fears, which are confirmed by the news that tells us every day about the development of the various fronts, another element is added: the development ofartificial intelligence. Scientists are clearly worried not about the evolution of research, but about the possibility that this new segment of knowledge is becoming increasingly less controllable by humans and the dangers are still as difficult to recognize as its ethical implications. The US company emphasizes that the guarantees are not sufficient. And now the clock is approaching midnight: the hypothetical hour X of humanity.