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The 'Doomsday Clock' was set to 85 seconds to midnight on Jan. 27 — marking the closest it has been to the time that represents apocalypse in its history. “The Doomsday Clock’s message cannot be clearer,” the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists CEO Alexandra Bell said in a statement.
“Catastrophic risks are on the rise, cooperation is on the decline, and we are running out of time. Change is both necessary and possible, but the global community must demand swift action from their leaders.” The clock was last set to 89 seconds in January 2025. This year, the Bulletin set the clock to 85 seconds, citing growing threats of nuclear weapons, the impacts of artificial intelligence and disruptive technologies, climate change and more. The Bulletin issued a scathing evaluation of the state of the world in its statement announcing the new 'Doomsday Clock' time. “A year ago, we warned that the world was perilously close to global disaster and that any delay in reversing course increased the probability of catastrophe,” the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists said. “Rather than heed this warning, Russia, China, the United States, and other major countries have instead become increasingly aggressive, adversarial, and nationalistic.' “Far too many leaders have grown complacent and indifferent, in many cases adopting rhetoric and policies that accelerate rather than mitigate these existential risks,' the Bulletin added. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer and the University of Chicago scientists behind the first atomic weapons. The 'Doomsday Clock' was created in 1947 and set to seven minutes to midnight, a metaphor for how close humanity is to global disaster. It is set annually by the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board in consultation with its Board of Sponsors, which features eight Nobel laureates. While the clock has moved into uncharted territory, the Bulletin said actions could change the momentum. The Bulletin recommended the U.S. and Russia once again discuss the prospect of limiting their nuclear arsenals, while the world should take steps “to reduce the prospect that AI be used to create biological threats.” In addition, the Bulletin suggested that the U.S. Congress should create incentives and investments to reduce fossil fuel use. It also called for the U.S., Russia and China to incorporate 'meaningful guidelines' regarding the use of AI in the military.
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