AI expert predicts 99.9% chance AI wipes out humanity within a century

AI safety expert Roman Yampolskiy warns that artificial intelligence poses an existential risk, predicting a 99.9% probability that AI will eliminate humanity within the next century. Yampolskiy, a University of Louisville computer specialist, made the forecast on Lex Friedman's 2024 podcast, arguing that no AI system has been perfect and future versions could trigger catastrophic disasters. He published "AI: Unexplainable, Unpredictable, Uncontrollable" in 2023, exploring AI's potential hazards and existential questions. Other experts dispute this apocalyptic view, with an Oxford and Bonn study of 2,700 AI academics finding only a 5% extinction probability. Some AI pioneers, including Andrew Ng and Yann Lecun, dismiss such warnings entirely, accusing tech leaders like OpenAI's Sam Altman of fear-mongering with hidden agendas.