Artificial Intelligence Emerges as Leading Threat to Human Survival

Researchers analyzing existential risks argue that natural catastrophes such as asteroid impacts or super‑volcano eruptions have a very low probability of causing humanity's extinction in the next century. In contrast, human‑originated technologies – notably artificial intelligence, synthetic biology and the risk of nuclear conflict – present far greater dangers, potentially leading to mass die‑offs or irreversible loss of development potential.

The growing capabilities of AI are reshaping everyday life and business, from real‑time problem solving and marketing optimisation to autonomous customer‑service chatbots. This rapid adoption raises pressing ethical questions about data security and privacy, prompting calls for robust, internationally coordinated regulation and responsible decision‑making to mitigate the associated existential threats.