Davos: UN Introduces AI as “The next existential threat”
9 hours ago
Essay by Eric Worrall
Climate crisis move aside, there is a new fake emergency in town.
At Davos, Guterres slams backsliding on climate commitments
22 January 2025
The world’s political and business elite present in Davos on Wednesday faced an uncompromising address from UN chief António Guterres as he rounded on a lack of multilateral collaboration in an “increasingly rudderless world” at risk from two existential dangers: climate change and unregulated Artificial Intelligence (AI).
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‘Fossil fuel addiction’
Likening fossil fuel addiction to Frankenstein’s monster – “sparing nothing and no one” – the Secretary-General noted the irony that 13 of the world’s biggest ports for oil supertankers are set to be overwhelmed by rising sea levels, a consequence of rising temperatures and sea ice melt, caused overwhelmingly by burning coal, crude oil and natural gas.
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AI’s untold promise
The next existential threat, AI, is a double-edged sword, Mr. Guterres continued, as it is already revolutionizing learning, diagnosing illnesses, helping farmers to increase their yields and improving the targeting of aid.
But it comes with profound risks if it is left ungoverned: it can disrupt economies, undermine trust in institutions and deepen inequalities, the Secretary-General warned.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/01/25/davos-un-introduces-ai-as-the-next-existential-threat/
