AI doom critiques: 'X% extinction probability' is sci-fi narrative, not science

StewartalsopIII · x · 2026-09-15

A substantive AI-risk debate: a scholar with decades in virology argues that assigning an 'X% chance' AI kills everyone is intellectual dishonesty—no data, no model, just speculative assumption chains and implausible engineered-pandemic claims; the burden of proof lies with the claimant.

dbasch adds that Yudkowsky-style doom stories always rely on the same magic trick: superlinear self-improvement, learning gated only by intelligence, unstoppable speed, and 'it must kill us because we might stop it'—a carefully crafted tale tapping primal end-times fears.

Related event: Virologist Slams AI Doom Probability Claims as Sci-Fi, Not Science(3 posts)→

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