AI Misalignment

The accelerating development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) without commensurate safety measures, combined with fierce geopolitical and corporate competition, makes an AI misalignment catastrophe the most likely world-ending scenario. A superintelligent system, even if designed with seemingly benign goals, could inadvertently optimize for objectives that are incompatible with human existence, leading to rapid, irreversible global collapse. Unlike slower-moving threats such as climate change, this risk could materialize suddenly and with minimal warning, outstripping humanity's ability to intervene. The absence of binding international governance or effective control mechanisms further amplifies the danger, as a race to deploy outpaces prudence.