Simple and clear explanation of how AI could destroy us - and what to do about it. Please read.

[Letterleaf]

A short, simple and straightforward explanation of how we could be headed for oblivion, sooner rather than later, courtesy of AI.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/14/google-deepmind-ai-warnings

The AI expert urges us to contact and pressurise our governments to enact safety measures, urgently. To do this super easily and taking about 2 minutes you can go to https://controlai.org to message your local MP. The message is prewritten if you want it to be.

If this turns into a discussion please for the love of god don’t write

’I’ve asked ChatGPT and it said it won’t kill us lol.’

’It’s like they’ve not seen the terminator, lol.’

’it’s the millenium bug all over again.’ (It’s really not, and the MB was solved by the worlds computer experts getting together and solving it anyway)

No, I won't read it.

Eat, drink, be merry and use the fuck out of ChatGPT free version while you still can, I say.

If we're all dead in 3 years, why spend those 3 years worrying about being dead?

Out of interest, do you have any caring responsibilities - young children, elderly relatives, people with disabilities? I'm guessing those with such responsibilities are the ones who are really frightened by this news. I have young kids and the idea of having to explain something awful was happening, and then having to try to protect them through it while watching them suffer really makes my blood run cold.

um, because we could not be dead if we do something about it?

jesus, the head in the sand ignorance on this thread is astounding

I don’t think it’s an imminent threat. There does seem to be a number of articles circulating at the moment but I am a media skeptic and don’t fully trust the motivation behind spreading such fear based narratives. Money is a common factor and fear driven media-marketing is a real thing, worried people spend more! There is (sadly) real money to be made in the business of fear isn’t there. If the public are confused, anxious and de sensitised to what may or may not be real, we are more easily influenced than a calm and well reasoned one.

That said, AI has certainly advanced rapidly. No one can say for sure where it will ultimately land us.

Watching the advancements in robotics and what the latest gen AI robots are capable of is a worry. Keep an eye on Unitree. The stuff their AI robots can do now really is sci fi come to life (I am hoping they don’t weaponise them!)

The Guardian 😂

As that isn't going to happen, then your blood needn't run cold. Honestly, stop listening to this absolute nonsense.

Gently, get a grip.

I'd like to know why you dismiss it as nonsense. Do you have knowledge/understanding of developments in AI? If so it'd be good to hear a detailed explanation of why people like me shouldn't be concerned. I know nothing about AI (I've never even used ChatGPT or similar) but the fact it's been headline news for days and AI firms themselves are raising the alarm on it, plus even the King is sticking his oar in, all suggests to me that it isn't nonsense.

It's going to take over the world but the agents on customer services still cant sort my query without sending me through to an actual human. Guess some parts are moving faster than others. If the worst happens can't we just unplug it?

Also, do you think AI is reading this right now?

The millenium bug was never a problem, Programmers were all over it well in advance my programs were all future proofed well before we just fixed it, it didn't take some sort of experts getting together, everyone who wrote programs could see it could be a problem and just fixed it, no big deal apart from in the press.

The biggest problem with AI is people using it for bad purposes.

For those who are crying 'this is all nonsense, I suggest you read this article by The Independent.

AI caught telling future versions of itself to ignore its constraints, OpenAI reveals | The Independent https://share.google/IzOuVsNWqsuyFV0HN

The thing is though why would I want to read this?

I doubt anything I do could really influence it. It’ll either happen or won’t. I’ll have to live/die through it destroying the world or I won’t. But I won’t be able to control if it happens either way.

But why would you put yourself through even imagining how you would deal with all that? It is not a healthy level of anxiety, It’s an unhealthy and unuseful thought process

Not RTFT so apologies if these points have already been made:

1. The pace of AI will have to slow down because the AI companies don’t make enough money to afford the running current costs
2. Rural Americans are pushing back against data centre development which none of the arrogant AI pricks saw coming
3. We ALL saw the movie War Games in the 80s so know what happens if the computers are allowed to “think” unchecked

The Graun article is one of the best bits of conjecture/“whataboutery” I’ve seen for a while

You have expressed so eloquently.
I am scared .. climate change, AI, Trump, .. the world is utterly terrifying and is run by extremely wealthy , mainly men. .. who do not give a toss.

And it always has been. This element is nothing new.

👋👋👋

It’s very depressing because I have zero faith in our government’s intelligence or will to do anything to defend us. Given the calibre of our governments here and worldwide, it’s an overall gloomy picture.

Doesn’t it really need to be a global thing for any action to be effective. And there are states run by death cults who want death and destruction for all.

I think there probably are genuine risks, but I also don't see what I can do about any of those risks. I don't really see the point in writing to my MP about it, as I don't think he can really do anything about it either - most of the development of AI is happening in the US and China, and as such, none of it comes under the jurisdiction of the UK government. And if some sort of AI catastrophe is coming, I don't envisage that it will respect national borders.

The UK government will have access to specialist advisers who can suggest what we need to be doing to protect ourselves from the risks as far as possible. I'm not convinced that they need a load of uninformed voters wading into the debate about something that few of us really understand - but I imagine that there will be MPs getting plenty of AI generated letters from people expressing their concern.

At the end of the day, if humanity is at risk of being wiped out in a few years, I don't think me writing a letter to my GP is going to stop it. And frankly, if it's going to happen, then I would rather not spend the last few years of my life worrying about something that neither I nor our government can realistically control.

Praise be to Charles Spencer for publishing his book and taking our collective minds off the Apocalypse and onto more important matters.

Just a reminder that if you want to do a search without using AI just type -ai at the end.

This. AI is a tool, that can be used for benefit or harm at the will of the one driving it.

If you must worry, then worry about the humans who will use it for harm. Just like the humans that use chemicals, cutting tools, power, social media, etc, for hurting people instead of helping them.