The future is no longer what it used to be

Juan Gabriel Vásquez reflects on humanity's risks at the World in Progress forum, emphasizing the dangers posed by artificial intelligence and autocracies. He discusses the Doomsday Clock, which now stands at 85 seconds to midnight, highlighting the threats of war, climate change, and disruptive technologies. Vásquez notes that autocracies undermine scientific efforts and exacerbate global tensions. He cites alarming predictions from AI experts about potential extinction, stressing the lack of historical precedents to guide our response to AI's rapid development. The future, he argues, is now unpredictable and requires urgent action from democratic societies to harness technology's benefits while mitigating its risks.