Doomsday Clock set at 85 seconds to midnight over nuclear, climate and AI risks

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has set the Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds to midnight, its closest setting on record, citing nuclear escalation, accelerating climate change, and rapidly deployed, largely unregulated technologies such as artificial intelligence and so‑called “mirror life.” The Clock is reviewed and updated by the Bulletin on an annual basis.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced that it has set the Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds to midnight, the closest setting in the clock’s history. The organization reported that several long‑running and emerging trends informed the decision. It highlighted rising nuclear competition, continued failures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the fast rollout of new technologies. The Bulletin specifically named artificial intelligence and the experimental creation of mirror‑image synthetic life as concerns, and said weakening international cooperation compounds those risks. Key points: - The Bulletin set the Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds to midnight, the closest setting on record. - The report cited nuclear arms competition, accelerating climate change, and unregulated technologies, including artificial intelligence and mirror‑image synthetic life. - The Doomsday Clock is reviewed and updated by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists annually. Summary: The Bulletin framed current global trends as raising serious risks and noted that weakened international cooperation makes those issues harder to address. The organization identified nuclear modernization, lack of progress on climate commitments, and rapid technological developments as primary drivers. The Clock is scheduled to be reassessed in the Bulletin’s next annual update.