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AI can kill humanity in a decade? Get in line
It’s been a while now since reality has all but caught up to the dystopias of science fiction. Take the revelation by Jacob Coxon, a former researcher at Anthropic. “AI,” he said after quitting his job, “could kill us all” by the end of the decade. What’s more, there are enough people at companies like Anthropic and OpenAI who are aware of the danger but continue to gamble with smarter models so that they aren’t left behind in the race that only billionaires can win. For most people, though, there’s only one response to this existential threat to the species: What’s all the fuss about?
In the second decade of the 21st century, doomsday is passé. Titans of industry, scientific minds backed by machines of war and just plain old human consumption have taken the planet to the brink of apocalypse. Nuclear weapons, the infamous Doomsday Clock inching towards midnight, floods, heat waves, melting glaciers, rising seas — through it all, people can binge watch and chill. AI could well destroy humanity. It just needs to get in line.
Overall Analysis
The editorial uses irony, satire and dark humour to question society’s growing indifference towards existential threats, including the possibility that artificial intelligence could become dangerous.
The opening paragraph presents the alarming claim that AI could potentially destroy humanity by the end of the decade. However, instead of treating this as an isolated technological threat, the writer places it within a much larger history of human-made dangers. The phrase “reality has all but caught up to the dystopias of science fiction” suggests that situations once imagined as fictional nightmares are increasingly becoming real.
The author then highlights the AI race among technology companies, suggesting that even people working inside these organisations may recognise the risks but continue developing increasingly powerful models because they fear being left behind. The phrase “the race that only billionaires can win” is particularly striking. It conveys criticism of the concentration of technological power and wealth in the hands of a few powerful corporations and individuals.
The second paragraph shifts from AI specifically to the broader problem of human desensitisation to catastrophe. The writer argues that humanity has already experienced repeated warnings of destruction — nuclear weapons, climate change, extreme weather, melting glaciers and rising seas — yet people continue with ordinary life. The expression “doomsday is passé” is deliberately ironic: threats of global destruction have become so familiar that they no longer generate the same fear or urgency.
The final sentence, “AI could well destroy humanity. It just needs to get in line,” is the central rhetorical punchline of the editorial. The phrase “get in line” normally refers to waiting one’s turn, but here it is used sarcastically to suggest that AI is merely the latest addition to an already long list of threats created or intensified by humans.
From a language perspective, the editorial is highly effective because it combines serious subject matter with informal and humorous expressions such as “binge watch and chill” and “get in line.” This contrast makes the argument engaging while exposing the absurdity of humanity’s casual attitude towards potentially catastrophic problems.
Important Vocabulary – 5
- Dystopia – an imagined society or future where life is extremely bad or frightening.
- Existential – relating to the existence or survival of something, especially humanity.
- Passé – no longer fashionable, relevant or important.
- Apocalypse – a catastrophic event involving widespread destruction or the end of the world.
- Desensitised – no longer strongly affected or shocked by something because of repeated exposure.
Conclusion & Tone
The editorial does not simply argue that AI will destroy humanity. Instead, it uses the AI threat to expose a deeper problem: humanity has become accustomed to warnings of catastrophe and often responds with indifference. The writer suggests that the real danger may lie not only in powerful technologies but also in our inability to take serious risks seriously.
Tone: Satirical, ironic, critical, provocative and darkly humorous.
Explore the editorial’s deeper argument
- Analyse the satire and irony
- Identify the central argument
