Existential risk (x-risk)

Working definition

A phrase derived from long-termism, existential risk refers to threats to human life that would kill the vast majority of the population and leave limited or no prospects of repopulation. Sometimes referred to as extinction risk or the 'end of humanity.' Climate change is often not considered an x-risk within this community.

Questions to ask

• Consider other risks that long-termists have ranked alongside AI as x-risks, such as pandemics and nuclear wars. How did humans mitigate these risks in the past and present?

Usages in annotated documents

• …no second chance — you cannot patch a system that is actively evading the control of its developer. This is why the existential risk from AI belongs in the same category as pandemics and nuclear war. The extinction risk is not science fiction; it is… The Window Is Closing
• …developer. This is why the existential risk from AI belongs in the same category as pandemics and nuclear war. The extinction risk is not science fiction; it is the sober consensus of the very people building these systems. We are told the… The Window Is Closing