According to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, “The Doomsday Clock is a design that warns the public about how close we are to destroying our world with dangerous technologies of our own making. It is a metaphor, a reminder of the perils we must address if we are to survive on the planet—” And it’s just moved one second closer. The farthest we have ever been to the destruction of mankind was 17 minutes in 1991, and we’re currently as close as we’ve been at 89 seconds to midnight. A multitude of things affect what moves the clock, including developments in nuclear bombs, climate change, biological threats, and disruptive technologies.
In 2024, developments surrounding nuclear bombs were limited, but acquisition and modernization efforts are still underway globally. However, while developments are limited, they aren’t nonexistent; many countries are still stockpiling nuclear warheads and seeking ways to improve widespread destruction. Thankfully, it’s not going to happen immediately. Costs to modernize these warheads are projected to go up over 35% since 2020, so there’s still time to delay, or hopefully stop, the deployment of these weapons.
Climate change has been an issue since the late 19th century. Since the industrial revolution, global temperatures have been on an increasing trend. According to climate.gov, the Earth is currently hotter than it’s been in the last 11,000 years. Climate change is a confusing concept to understand; there are many arguments stating that the world goes through phases, such as the little ice age, or that climate change isn’t at the fault of humans. But one fact undeniably remains true: climate change is real, and while it may not be an immediate cause for concern now, it certainly could be in the coming decades.
Biological threats, viruses, and bacteria have been increasing in traction over the recent months. COVID-19 itself is still the cause of death of 1.1% of Americans today; even though the pandemic ended almost two years ago, influenza and pneumonia remain a leading cause of death in America, at rank seven, according to the World Health Organization. Another form of the flu, the highly pathogenic avian influenza, or the bird flu, is widely seen as a pandemic today as it infects animals and animal products, which can then infect humans. According to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the flu can break apart and mutate rapidly, and a human-transmissible strain is not impossible.
The main concern regarding disruptive technologies is AI. AI has seen numerous developments over the last few years, especially with many large-scale “chatbots” like Chat-GPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini, and possible risks are rising. For example, after opening a website or page on the internet, a common bot-preventative method called CAPTCHA often shows up as a pop-up. While it may be annoying, it doesn’t seem overwhelmingly concerning; however, according to researchers at the University of California Irvine, AI is becoming increasingly better at solving these CAPTCHAs. This is mainly a concern due to the fact that CAPTCHAs were created to deter bots and computers from hacking and decrypting passwords from a user’s account. If AI were to advance at a faster rate than we can improve preventative methods, it’s entirely possible that it could have access to all of our accounts.
In conclusion, the world is currently in a state of high tension among countries and is experiencing a pandemic. With the development of new technologies every day, it’s only a matter of time until the clock ticks even closer to midnight.
