What Happens If ASI Emerges Next Year
Character-Ad9485 · reddit · 2026-07-14
This lengthy Reddit post discusses what society would look like if Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) emerges within the next 12 months.
The author notes that an increasing number of podcasts and influencers are seriously discussing near-term superintelligence. For example, Daniel Kokotajlo (former OpenAI employee and author of the AI 2027 scenario) stated on a show that he believes there is about a 70% chance the situation will end badly, and that superintelligence could arrive before the end of this decade. The author also mentions that Kokotajlo forfeited approximately $2 million in compensation to speak out more freely.
The core question of the post asks how ordinary people view this: is near-term ASI a real risk or exaggerated hype? If it does emerge next year, will the next decade for human society be a massive leap forward, a complete disaster, a mix of both, or virtually unchanged?
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