Existential risk, or study of the ways in which humanity might go extinct, is a relatively novel topic in the societal debate. However, especially in the UK and the US, coverage is increasing rapidly.

The Guardian has published quite a few articles on existential risk. Already in 2014, Cambridge University’s Centre for the Study of Existential Risk was introduced. In longreads in the science section, Anders Sandberg and Toby Ord, both from Oxford University’s Future of Humanity Institute, introduce the most likely sources of existential risk. More recently, The Guardian put COVID-19 in an existential risk context. The Economist also discussed Ord’s recent book on existential risk. It also linked COVID-19 to preparation for future risks, among which there are existential ones. 

In the US, The New Yorker wrote a long story on unaligned AI in 2015 and a more general one on existential risk more recently. The Financial Times also covered the topic with a book review podcast and one in writing.

At the Existential Risk Observatory, we are excited to see media coverage of this topic increase. We hope to be able to contribute to furthering this promising discussion.