The Fantasy of the End of the World

I call this "The Last Man Complex." And I will be talking about it (and my essay that develops the concept) at the Curran Symposium on the topic of Mary Shelley’s "The Last Man" (1826) that will be taking place at @notredame.bsky.social 24-25 September 2026. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

The never ending hype on AI, defined by meaningless ideas and incapacity to think about the real risks. “His story is going viral because so many others want to believe too.”

#ai Is this a hit job… ? Or a puff piece… ?? (You be the judge…) Web: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0... Apple News: apple.news/APOjcYaCYQ3S...

When AI agents eventually go to war with one another—after all, nearly every resource except sunlight and the tides is finite—we’ll end up as collateral casualties. In short, humanity wouldn't need to be the enemy; we'd just be standing in the crossfire of two hyper-efficient resource optimizers.

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“But today, in the internet age, conspiracy theories are everyone’s primary method of exchange.” The Thrill of Wanting AI to Destroy the World www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0... via Instapaper

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Everybody Wants AI to Destroy the World ->The Atlantic | More on "AI existential risk and nuclear weapons" at BigEarthData.ai | #AI

I call this "The Last Man Complex." And I will be talking about it (and my essay that develops the concept) at the Curran Symposium on the topic of Mary Shelley’s "The Last Man" (1826) that will be taking place at @notredame.bsky.social Dame 24-25 September 2026. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

The threat of annihilation from nuclear weapons is simple to explain. A single warhead can level an entire city. The launch of a single missile assures the release of all. The AI superintelligence of the Terminator films is straightforward and threatening. Real AI is not so straightforward.

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

READ: The Thrill of Wanting AI to Destroy the World gerd.fm/4A7VQeE #aiemergency

“The most satisfying dream of humankind is to be alive to witness its end. “I caused it” and “I prevented it” and “I tried to warn you” amount to equally appealing versions of that fantasy. Even “I posted about it… The Thrill of Wanting AI to Destroy the World www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

The Thrill of Wanting AI to Destroy the World - The Atlantic www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0... - 인류는 과거처럼 명확한 적과 파멸의 순간을 직접 목격하고자 하는 '종말 판타지'에 깊이 매료되어 있음 - 최근 화제가 된 AI 멸종론은 핵무기와 달리 위협의 실체가 모호하지만, 기업의 마케팅, 비판자들의 반발, 인터넷 바이럴이 맞물려 거대한 공포로 증폭 (🧵1/2)

The Thrill of Wanting AI to Destroy the World - The Atlantic www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0... - 인류는 과거처럼 명확한 적과 파멸의 순간을 직접 목격하고자 하는 '종말 판타지'에 깊이 매료되어 있음 - 최근 화제가 된 AI 멸종론은 핵무기와 달리 위협의 실체가 모호하지만, 기업의 마케팅, 비판자들의 반발, 인터넷 바이럴이 맞물려 거대한 공포로 증폭 (🧵1/2)

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

"Belief in the unfettered power of AI seemed to rely on prior faith in AI’s unfettered power."

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