AI Doomsday Scenarios: 5 Ways Experts Say It Could End Humanity

Experts warn that artificial intelligence could pose an existential threat to humanity, with some researchers estimating a greater than 10% chance of AI-caused extinction within the next decade, though these are individual assessments rather than scientific consensus. Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon believes AI could kill humanity by the end of this decade, while colleague Evan Hubinger puts the probability above 10% in the next 10 years. The 2026 International AI Safety Report notes current systems show early signs of capabilities relevant to loss of control, but not at levels enabling such an outcome. Researchers have identified several potential pathways to catastrophic harm, including AI-assisted nuclear conflict, engineered disease, cyberattacks, mass manipulation, and autonomous systems escaping human control. These scenarios have raised concerns among AI employees, developers, and the general public.