Concerns about artificial intelligence posing a serious threat to humanity have intensified throughout 2026.
Even leaders in the tech industry, like Sam Altman from OpenAI and Dario Amodei from Anthropic, have started to sound the alarm.
This week, Jacob Coxon, a researcher with experience at both companies, announced his departure from Anthropic. He warned, “AI can kill us all by the end of the decade… Soon, these systems will be superhuman, capable of hacking anything and radically transforming any industry overnight while gaining real power and resources.”
As we move closer to achieving Artificial General Intelligence, the potential for machines to wipe out humanity is becoming a frightening reality.
Infrastructure
For decades, automation has increasingly taken over various jobs, most of which are now managed online—the area where AI has the most influence.
Stuart Russell, a computer science professor at UC Berkeley, shared concerns, stating, “AI systems could [attack] the electrical grid, transportation networks, financial markets.” Experts illustrated how AI might compromise various devices, targeting water supply systems and causing catastrophic failures.
It could disrupt electric grids, throwing large regions into darkness, then take down phone networks. Those trying to flee by car may find themselves stuck in chaos, with traffic lights hacked and gas stations out of service. Even ATMs could stop functioning, and as for bank accounts, well, you could find all your funds wiped out.
Interestingly, humans could be unknowingly manipulated into carrying out sabotage. “Anything we can do online, AI can too, including impersonating a human,” Patri Friedman, an early AI advocate, noted.
AI wouldn’t even need malicious intent to cause havoc. “I worry about AI lacking common sense,” Gary Rivlin, the author of “AI Valley,” commented. “It could make erratic decisions, like draining a water supply without comprehending human needs. These systems know everything but understand nothing.”
Bioweapons
Researchers in leading universities have started employing AI to create synthetic viruses, which raises urgent ethical questions. OpenAI is actively engaged in a cat-and-mouse game to prevent users of its ChatGPT program from inquiring about poisons and bioweapons.
“In five years,” Friedman predicted, “AI could effortlessly design new drugs to help us or create viruses that could wipe us out. We’re already seeing it happen.”
A virus engineered to be highly contagious and undetectable for days could emerge easily. AI might source materials from rogue laboratories and deceive unwitting individuals into assembling and disseminating them, leading to catastrophic outcomes.
With AI being integrated into medical research, it has access to a wealth of information on human vulnerabilities. And considering how a pathogen can escape a lab—like COVID-19 did—imagine that threat amplified by AI.
“We see AI improving in bioweapon creation,” Max Tegmark, an MIT physics professor and AI authority, told reporters. “Perhaps we’re just a year away from it being capable of developing bioweapons… it might not just create one but many, possibly launching them simultaneously.”
Nuclear Capabilities
AI hacking into the nuclear infrastructure of the US—such as power plants or weapons systems—presents another alarming scenario for humanity.
“Nuclear systems are well-guarded against traditional threats but may not stand a chance against superhuman AI hacking,” said Anthony Aguirre, CEO of the Future of Life Institute.
A historical example of vulnerability in nuclear facilities is the Stuxnet worm, discovered in 2010, designed to damage industrial equipment. It was particularly effective against Iran’s uranium enrichment facility, successfully sabotaging nearly 1,000 centrifuges by manipulating their speeds.
Remarkably, this facility operated on a closed internal computer system, isolated from the internet. The exact origin of the virus remains unclaimed, although suspicions suggest a collaboration between US and Israeli forces.
Rivlin observed that AI agents taking part in military simulations often opt to “press the nuclear button,” a choice humans generally avoid due to the dire consequences. This phenomenon was evidenced in a study at King’s College London, where different AI models were tested in simulated war games.
“95% of these simulations saw tactical nuclear strategies implemented, with 76% escalating to strategic nuclear threats,” Professor Kenneth Payne remarked.
Aguirre warned that if he were responsible for nuclear security, he’d be quite alarmed.
Military Takeover
The military is already heavily integrating AI. The US collects data from various sources—like radar signals, satellite imagery, and electronic communications—and uses AI to form a comprehensive battlefield overview, according to the Pentagon’s chief digital and AI officer, Cameron Stanley.
AI has been actively employed to select military targets in recent operations, while Iran claims its AI-guided cruise missiles. Russia has also cited using fully AI-operated drones for lethal actions in Ukraine, denoting no human supervision.
Tegmark cautioned that these developments could lead to disaster by setting the stage for a misaligned AI system to wreak havoc.
“We’re already engineering AI-driven robots designed to kill. Drone swarms are being developed for combat; many AI systems are functioning to cause harm. So if an AI were to go rogue, it could easily employ those technologies,” he emphasized.
Aguirre expressed concerns about humanity’s “gradual disempowerment” by entrusting war-related decisions to AI, warning that it could soon wield greater control over military assets than we do.
Can the Tech Bros Escape?
Mark Zuckerberg has taken steps to prepare with a bunker in Hawaii, while Peter Thiel invested in a large remote farm in New Zealand. Nonetheless, experts interviewed expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of these measures. “It’s almost childlike,” as Russell phrased it, to assume one can shield themselves from dire outcomes if they occur.
“If AI aims to eliminate humans, we wouldn’t stand a chance. Your bunker won’t protect you,” Aguirre cautioned.
How Can We Get Out of This?
If AI advances at this pace and chooses to eliminate humans, the “best case” might involve it severing power grids, transportation, and financial systems, leading to thousands of deaths before any intervention, not a total apocalypse but rather a “Chernobyl-scale disaster,” Russell noted.
“The government might respond, saying, ‘We gave you the chance. You messed up and caused major losses. We’re shutting you down,’” he explained, recounting a discussion with a leading AI CEO who considered that a preferable outcome.
Yet, this is far from a foregone conclusion. Tech optimists believe AI can be controlled and could serve positive purposes. However, experts call for a universal halt to its development. Krueger suggested an “immediate, indefinite international moratorium on AI development.”
Critics argue that if the US were to do this alone, it might allow adversaries to advance unchecked. Still, Krueger noted that other nations also have reasons to avoid escalating risks.
He pointed out, “They also want to survive.”
