Fixated on AI, the world has forgotten what is staring it in the face: nuclear annihilation | Simon Tisdall

In the current era, the world's fixation on the potential dangers of artificial intelligence has led many to overlook the ever-present threat of nuclear annihilation. The rapid advancement of nuclear weapons technology is bringing humanity closer to "end times" more than ever before. Throughout history, people have feared the end of the world, with religious texts like the Bible and Islam prophesying periods of tribulation, war, famine, plague, floods, and environmental catastrophe.

Christian evangelicals believe that only a select few will be saved during a final rapture, while the rest will face a day of reckoning. Despite such predictions, the majority of people tend to disregard or ridicule such warnings. The world may be more susceptible to a universal cataclysm due to the skepticism displayed by many.

Donald Trump, who has famously dismissed concerns regarding artificial intelligence, may be fulfilling the prophecy of Peter, another of Jesus's disciples. Peter warned that in the last days, scoffers would come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. Trump, with his dismissive attitude towards AI's dangers, is reminiscent of this prophecy.

The potential end of the world could be precipitated by various factors, including devastating climate change, pandemic disease, a collision with an asteroid, or a global digital and internet meltdown. The fictional scientist in Robert Harris's 2019 novel, The Second Sleep, listed these catastrophic possibilities, but few took his warnings seriously. In the end, it was a seemingly plausible cyber crash that destroyed the scientist and nearly the entire world.