Google DeepMind Executive Warns AI Extinction Risk Is Not Zero

Lila Ibrahim, the chief AI readiness officer at Google DeepMind, stated that the probability of artificial intelligence causing human extinction is "not zero." In an interview with Fortune, Ibrahim argued that it would be "irresponsible" to ignore such existential risks, drawing a comparison between the need for AI safety and the gravity of nuclear war.

While Ibrahim declined to provide a specific percentage for the risk of extinction, she noted that other industry figures have done so. These include AI researcher Geoffrey Hinton, who estimated a 10% to 20% chance of extinction within 30 years, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who predicted a 25% chance of a catastrophic future outcome.

Ibrahim criticized the corporate tendency to overlook potential catastrophes during periods of rapid technological shift. She also expressed skepticism toward predictions of a post-scarcity future or mass space colonization made by figures such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. Ibrahim contended that the accelerating pace of AI development makes such long-term predictions inaccurate, suggesting instead that the technology should be used as a tool to maximize human potential by solving concrete issues like disease and industrial waste.