In an announcement, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the Doomsday Clock forward by one second to 89 seconds before midnight, the closest it has ever been to signaling a global catastrophe. The adjustment reflects increasing global risks, including ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, nuclear proliferation, climate change, and the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence technologies.
"The world has not made progress on existential threats to humanity. Therefore, we are moving the clock forward," said Daniel Holz, chair of the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, according to CBS News.
"The war in Ukraine remains a source of nuclear risk," Holz warned, adding, "That conflict could escalate and come to include nuclear weapons at any moment due to a hasty decision or by accident or miscalculation," as reported by ABC News Australia.
Juan Manuel Santos, former President of Colombia and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, stated that "The clock speaks to the existential threats that confront us and the need for unity and bold leadership to turn back its hands."
"This alarming rise in distrust is being fueled in large part by the malicious and reckless use of new technologies we do not yet fully understand," Santos added,
Holz also expressed concern over advances in artificial intelligence. "Advances in artificial intelligence are beginning to appear on the battlefield in a tentative but concerning way, and it is especially concerning the future possibility of artificial intelligence being applied to nuclear weapons. Additionally, artificial intelligence is increasingly altering the global information ecosystem. Misinformation and disinformation driven by artificial intelligence will only exacerbate this dysfunction," he stated, according to Reuters.
Experts operating the Doomsday Clock cited the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, conflicts in the Middle East, and the military applicability of artificial intelligence as factors contributing to the current global risks. They pointed out that "the conflict in the Middle East threatens to spiral out of control and become a wider war without warning," while "countries that possess nuclear weapons are increasing the size and role of their arsenals."
"Russian aggression in Ukraine, including the repeated use of nuclear threats since the beginning of the war, has been concerning. Additionally, Russia's recent withdrawal from arms control agreements is a concerning sign of increased nuclear risk," Holz stated, as reported by Sky News.
Nuclear-armed North Korea continues with tests of ballistic missiles, and Kim Jong Un recently declared his goal was to "exponentially expand" North Korea's nuclear arsenal in coming years, according to Reuters.
The Doomsday Clock was created in 1947 by atomic scientists at the University of Chicago to warn the public about the imminent threat of nuclear disaster, reflecting the dangers of the arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union. When it was first started, it was set to seven minutes to midnight. The furthest the clock has been from midnight was in 1991, when it was set to 17 minutes to midnight after the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), reflecting progress in arms control.
Since its inception, the Doomsday Clock has been adjusted 26 times, reflecting political, nuclear, and climate changes, mostly moving closer to midnight. The clock's time is updated annually by the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which includes experts in nuclear technology, climate science, and nine Nobel laureates.
Holz emphasized that moving the hands of the Doomsday Clock forward is a signal of extreme danger, stating, that "every second of delay increases the probability of global disaster."
"When you are at this precipice, the one thing you don't want to do is take a step forward," he said, according to the Associated Press.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.