4 Areas Of Existential Risk You Really Need To Be Aware Of--Especially Now

CERN Large Hadron Collider, Image by ExtremeTech

It's important to be vigilant, especially in the times we're living in. My two previous posts have provided advice for living in unpredictable times, and what to do with disappointment and lost hope. 

But what are the things we need to be vigilant about? What are specific risks that we face daily on planet Earth? The term "Existential Risk," according to Wikipedia is defined as, "one that either destroys humanity (and, presumably, all but the most rudimentary species of non-human lifeforms and/or plant life) entirely or prevents any chance of civilization recovering. [Nick] Bostrom considers existential risks to be far more significant." Hence, an existential risk relates to certain kinds of events that threaten to wipe out humanity, and possibly leaving no chance for future generations to exist. 

But is this the stuff of science fiction, or are people actually taking this seriously? I've written a bit about Elon Musk, and his colleague Stephen Hawking, and his concern with killer robots; beyond that, there is a centre at Cambridge University called The Centre for the Study of Existential Risk. Here's what it's all about:

CSER is a multidisciplinary research centre dedicated to the study and mitigation of risks that could lead to human extinction. Our goal is to steer a small fraction of Cambridge’s great intellectual resources, and of the reputation built on its past and present scientific pre-eminence, to the task of ensuring that our own species has a long-term future. 

So what are some existential risks? Here is a basic list. For those of you running companies or looking to the next solutions that need to be invented and innovated, these risks will provide important material for you. 

1. Artificial Intelligence: This is one I've written a fair bit on. It's no question that our computers are advancing in intelligence. But in addition to them, there are very smart people in universities and labs all over the world designing and building robots to have consciousness--that's right, to think and feel and behave and cogitate like humans. The problem is, robot intelligence will remain on an upward trajectory as technology advances. When robots see humans as a threat, their self-perseveration will kick in, and, with their advanced weapons, will eventually take us over. This is a serious, legitimate threat that Elon Musk and others are warning us about.

2. Biotechnology: We are living in a time when a bio-virus can be cooked up in someone's basement and Fed-exed to anyone in the world. There is growing concern about all the wars and terror around the world, and the use of bio-weaponry. The problem is that as terror and warfare become more complex, there is greater risk of unintended consequences in which a pandemic is unleashed and spreads out of control. 

3. Experimental Technology Disaster: Read about the Large Hadron Collider at CERN and you'll have enough disaster scenarios to keep you busy for years--and that's just one example of experimental technology that poses tremendous risk to human civilization. 

4. World War: Modern weaponry is so far advanced from the days of World Wars 1 and 2--we now have the power to wipe out planet Earth innumerable times. But for some reason, this doesn't discourage the threat of a world war. As we've seen with Syria and Russia, there has been a great deal of tension these coming days. All it takes is for signals to be crossed, or miscommunication to take place, and we are at war. The problem is, such a war would mean the destruction of life as we know it. 

These are just a few--but there are countless others, especially non-human made catastrophes, such as super-volcanos, asteroid impacts, and a global pandemic. 

While these are real threats, and it's important for us to be aware of them and inform others about them, it can be overwhelming to consider. For those of you who find this concerning, I recommend you read my previous two posts: how to live in a world of unpredictability, and what to do when the world you thought existed no longer does.