Rameer Naam: AI extinction scenarios implausible; AI-augmented bioweapons are the real risk
ramez · x · 2026-09-15
In a discussion with davidmanheim, Rameer Naam reiterated that extinction from AI is dramatically less plausible than other outcomes still worth sincerely avoiding. True extinction would require a hypothetical ASI with ubiquitous human-equivalent robots bent on eradication—multiple conditionals he finds extremely improbable.
The more realistic concern: malicious human actors using AI to augment bioweapons capabilities. Extinction odds there are minuscule, but dramatic harms are possible—and he argues this is easier common ground for cross-camp conversations.
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