Existential Risk

Existential risk research investigates catastrophic threats capable of human extinction or civilizational collapse, with a current focus on the potential dangers of advanced artificial intelligence. This research explores various pathways to such risks, including misaligned AI goals, unintended consequences of powerful AI systems, and the amplification of existing societal threats through AI's influence on power dynamics and information control. While the field employs diverse modeling approaches, including Bayesian methods and large language models for analyzing societal dynamics, a key challenge remains in developing robust predictive models capable of accurately assessing the probability and impact of these complex, multifaceted risks.