GoKawiilMIRI President Nate Soares Says He's Stopped Saving for Retirement Over AI Risk
Nate Soares, president of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, said on The Atlantic's podcast that he has not contributed to his 401(k) in a decade because he believes AI has over a 50 percent chance of causing human extinction within ten years. Soares said he still works to prevent that outcome, calling it not inevitable.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Soares' remarks illustrate how deeply some prominent AI safety advocates have internalized worst-case forecasts, which could shape the alarmist tone of public and policy debate on AI regulation. Critics note there is no scientific consensus on near-term extinction risk, suggesting such predictions may distract from AI's documented present-day harms like scams, misinformation, and mental health impacts.
- Nate Soares says he hasn't contributed to retirement savings for 10 years due to AI extinction fears.
- He estimates over 50% probability of AI-driven human extinction within a decade.
- Critics argue there's no consensus on such risks, and focusing on them may overshadow AI's current real-world harms.
Source: futurism.com — Joe Wilkins, 2026-10-28
Published there as: “Top AI Safety Researcher Says He’s Stopped Saving for Retirement Because He’s So Sure We’re All Going to Die”
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