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Topics: World News
Callum Jones
A physicist who shared a Noble Prize in Physics back in 2004 has issued a warning to the world after predicting the date for humanity's destruction.
There's no doubt that the world we live in right now is very turbulent and the threat of a nuclear war certainly sees more likely than it did say, 20 years ago.
With an unpredictable US president, war in Europe, plus the ongoing situation in the Middle East, there is certainly a lot of unrest across the globe.
And now, David Gross has issued a chilling threat to humanity that mankind may be wiped out in just over three decades.
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He told Live Science: "Even after the Cold War ended, when we had strategic arms control treaties, all of which have disappeared, there were estimates that there was a one percent chance of nuclear war every year.
"I feel it's not a rigorous estimate that the chances are more likely two percent. So that's a one-in-50 chance every year.
Gross continued: "Currently, I spend part of my time trying to tell people … that the chances of you living 50 [more] years are very small.
"Due to the danger of nuclear war, you have about 35 years."
That would mean humanity would be destroyed come the year 2061.
Gross went on to point out the upheaval happening across the globe right now, as he continued: "Things have gotten so much worse in the last 30 years, as you can see every time you read the newspaper."
As is the case with most situations now, AI also comes into the equation, with Gross explaining that despite its benefits, artificial intelligence could prove a risk to humanity in the years to come.
"The agreements, the norms between countries, are all falling apart," the physicist added.
"Weapons are getting crazier. Automation, and perhaps even AI, will be in control of those instruments pretty soon.
"It's going to be very hard to resist making AI make decisions because it acts so fast."
Gross then pointed out the inaccuracies that can come with AI and the danger that can ultimately prove on the global scale.
He added: "If you play with AI, you know that it sometimes hallucinates."
The Doomsday Clock, designed to warn the public about how close we are to destroying the world, is another measure used to determine when humanity may be destroyed.
This year, the clock was set at 85 seconds to midnight, four seconds closer than it was last year.
Melissa Parke, Executive Director at ICAN, said of the measure: “The Doomsday Clock is not a prediction, it’s a warning.
"Nuclear weapons, wars from Ukraine to Gaza, the climate crisis and runaway technologies are all part of the problem – but they are all created by humanity.
"That means we can also change course. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) is a clear path to turn back the hands of the clock.”