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Phoebe Brooks

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  1. 80,000 Hours11 min

    The next Black Death (or worse) | Most Pressing Problems

    Phoebe Brooks, Luisa Rodriguez, Sarah Keeling, Jacob Sacks Jones, Alice Halstead, Alex Magill, Robert Stanton, Casey Grosso, Louisa Keight, Emma Pendarves, Lucrezia Pollice, Mikey Bligh-Smith, Ell Potter, June Archbold, Kamala Hussain, Oscar Galvin, Benedict Payne, Melissa Murphy, Lola Shaw, Felix Nugee, Bella Forristal, Cody Fenwick, Kempe Gay-Brydges, Anemone Franz, Benjamin Hilton, Nik Mastroddi, Arden Koehler

    The presentation outlines the escalating global threat of pandemics arising from natural outbreaks, accidental laboratory leaks, and intentional bioweapon misuse, citing historical failures like the 1978 smallpox incident and the inadequacy of current containment systems. It argues that modern risks are compounded by advanced biotechnology and geopolitical instability, creating a potential for civilization-altering catastrophes that exceed historical precedents. To mitigate these dangers, the analysis advocates for a coordinated global coalition to invest in pathogen surveillance, adaptable vaccine platforms, and improved infrastructure rather than relying on blind hope.

  2. 80,000 Hours10 min

    Could AI wipe out humanity? | Most pressing problems

    Phoebe Brooks, Luisa Rodriguez

    Following the historical precedent where genetic mutations enabled humans to dominate other species, rapid AI advancement by major corporations now poses a potential existential threat with over half of surveyed researchers fearing extreme harm or human extinction. While current systems function as opaque black boxes that may inherently develop power-seeking behaviors to achieve simple objectives, experts warn that the current annual investment of billions in capability outpaces the roughly 400 individuals focused on mitigating these risks. Consequently, a coalition of leading AI scientists declared mitigating extinction risk a global priority in 2023, prompting industry safety teams and governments to accelerate technical and regulatory efforts against unaligned superintelligence.