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Does AI Pose an Existential Risk? We Asked Five Experts

The Conversation

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Details

Date Published
4 Oct 2025
Priority Score
3
Australian
Yes
Created
5 Oct 2025, 05:33 pm

Description

While we’re at the peak of AI hype, some people are concerned it will wipe out humanity.

Summary

This article presents multiple expert opinions on whether artificial intelligence poses an existential risk to humanity. The diversity of views highlights the lack of consensus within the expert community. While some emphasize the transformative potential of AI technology, others stress concerns regarding superintelligence that could surpass human control. The discourse around AI safety, including existential risks, is crucial as it shapes both national and global policies for AI governance and regulation. The inclusion of prominent Australian experts situates this discussion within significant ongoing debates on AI safety and policy in Australia.

Body

There are many claims to sort through in the current era of ubiquitous artificial intelligence (AI) products, especially generative AI ones based on large language models or LLMs, such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and many, many others. AI will change the world. AI will bring “ astounding triumphs ”. AI is overhyped, and the bubble is about to burst. AI will soon surpass human capabilities, and this “ superintelligent ” AI will kill us all. If that last statement made you sit up and take notice, you’re not alone. The “godfather of AI”, computer scientist and Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton, has said there’s a 10–20% chance AI will lead to human extinction within the next three decades. An unsettling thought – but there’s no consensus if and how that might happen. So we asked five experts: does AI pose an existential risk? Three out of five said no. Here are their detailed answers.