Science & Tech · AI · 21 hrs ago
Researchers identify 17 threats that could harm global health this century
A commission of 35 leaders identified 17 threats that could seriously harm health and wellbeing through the rest of this century.
The findings were published in The Lancet and draw on global health data and forecasts.
The threats include obesity, smoking, mental health conditions, environmental change, conflict and technology.
The commission said nuclear conflict and malicious use of artificial intelligence could pose extinction risks.
It estimated that malicious AI could lead to about 10.4 billion years of lost healthy life worldwide by 2100, but said that estimate is theoretical because no such global event has occurred.
If current trends continue, all 17 threats together could cost tens of billions of years of healthy life, with some risks supported by stronger evidence than others.
The commission said leaders can reduce the dangers through targeted action, and that delaying action could increase future costs.
A commission of 35 leaders identified 17 threats that could harm global health and wellbeing through the rest of the 21st century.
The threats include health conditions and behaviors, economic conditions, environmental change, technology and conflict.
The commission said the threats could collectively cause tens of billions of years of lost health if current trends continue.
Nuclear conflict and malicious use of artificial intelligence were identified as threats that could pose a risk of extinction.
The researchers said targeted action by world leaders could help prevent the worst-case scenarios.
- Who
- A commission of 35 leaders from various industries identified the threats.
- What
- The commission identified 17 threats to global health and wellbeing, including two that could pose a risk of extinction.
- When
- The threats could affect health through the remainder of the 21st century.
- Where
- The risks concern the global population.
- Why
- The commission aims to spur action to protect and strengthen the future of health and humanity.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The striking finding is not only the scale of these threats, but that humanity still has the agency to act
Across all 17 catastrophic threats, the decisions made by leaders today will shape the health and wellbeing of the next generation.
But delaying action will only serve to shift and increase the costs into the future
An initial public offering for AI company Anthropic said its models could pose a catastrophic or existential risk to humanity.
CNN reported on commission findings published in The Lancet.
- Commission members
- 35 leaders from various industries
- Threats identified
- 17
- Potential healthy years lost to malicious AI by 2100
- About 10.4 billion years worldwide
- Potential adult obesity rate by 2050
- 60% globally
- Potential child obesity rate by 2050
- A third of children globally
Sources
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