Lancet report: AI misuse and nuclear war threaten humanity with extinction by 2100

[Financial News] Global health experts have identified the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) and nuclear war as the greatest threats that could drive humanity to extinction by 2100.
According to Sky News on the 11th (local time), researchers identified 17 interconnected “catastrophic threats” to humanity’s survival and health in a report by The Lancet’s Commission on Global Threats to Health in the 21st Century. The Lancet is an international medical journal.
Along with AI misuse and nuclear war, which could cause human extinction, 15 other catastrophic factors that seriously threaten human health were identified. These include climate change, air pollution, emerging pandemics, antibiotic resistance, poverty and income inequality, conventional military conflicts, cuts to foreign aid, and dietary and lifestyle factors such as hypertension and obesity.
Thirty-five global leaders in health, economics, security, governance and technology participated in the study, including Christopher Murray, director of the University of Washington’s (UW) Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), and Dr. Natalia Kanem, former executive director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Using data from 204 countries and territories, the researchers calculated “disability-adjusted life years” (DALYs)—the years of healthy life lost due to illness, disability or premature death—and modeled worst-case scenarios. Factors that could cause losses of at least 1 billion DALYs were classified as “catastrophic threats.”
Along with AI misuse and nuclear war, which could cause human extinction, 15 other catastrophic factors that seriously threaten human health were identified. These include climate change, air pollution, emerging pandemics, antibiotic resistance, poverty and income inequality, conventional military conflicts, cuts to foreign aid, and dietary and lifestyle factors such as hypertension and obesity.
Professor Murray, a co-chair of the report, said, “What is most surprising about this study is not only the scale of the threats, but also the fact that humanity still has the capacity to act to address them. The decisions world leaders make today will determine the health and well-being of the next generation, and the longer we delay responding, the greater the costs we will have to bear in the future.”
Dr. Kanem also said, “Recent global crises show how quickly peace can break down and how costly it is to respond only after disaster strikes. The harm caused by these threats will fall most heavily on the most vulnerable, and governments and societies around the world must act decisively starting today.”
The researchers called for increased investment in health-system improvements and technological innovation, while strongly recommending a comprehensive, collaborative response across all sectors, including health, finance, climate, defense and security.
The findings are scheduled to be officially presented at the World Health Summit, which will be held in Berlin, Germany.
[email protected] Yoon Jae-jun Reporter