Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, October 1st, 2026: How the bad science of AI doomerism is good for big business

Posted: 1st October 2026

October 1, 2026

Source image by Clarote & AI4Media via Better Images of AI; modified by Thomas Gaulkin

How the bad science of AI doomerism is good for big business

There’s a fundamental issue behind the escalating warnings about AI superintelligence, writes Sara Goudarzi. “There is no established path showing that today’s AI systems will surpass the smartest humans, much less a scientific basis for calculating the likelihood that such systems will destroy humanity.

Yet the doomer narrative has increasingly overshadowed AI’s more immediate and concrete risks, while boosting the very companies whose products are being portrayed as extraordinarily powerful and potentially uncontrollable.” Read more.

VIDEO

Space-based missile defense has a problem

Is a space-based missile defense system possible? The Trump administration has committed billions to build one. Experts speak to the Bulletin’s Rambo Talabong about the only proposal made public. You can watch on Instagram,TikTok, and YouTube.

Read interviewee Lisbeth Gronlund and David Wright’s full breakdown of “Brilliant Swarms” here.

Opinion: The world has moved on. But it need not stay this way forever

In 2022, Cory Doctorow coined the term “enshittification” to describe how the internet is declining in value to its end-users, due to the prevalence of monopolies and an emphasis on short-term gain over upholding long-term standards and practices. He diagnosed a cycle that has become common to digital platform decay: Tech giants initially lure users, then gradually squeeze business clients and end-users, until the giants finally trash the entire experience to maximize profit for shareholders.

In this reprint of a 2026 essay, he argues that enshittification is spreading to other areas as well—some of which are vital to the functioning of Western democracies in the 21st-century. This Bulletin magazine article is available to all readers.

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UPCOMING EVENT

The Web World Wide: The Impact of the Internet

Join the Bulletin for a virtual event, “The Web World Wide: The Impact of the Internet,” examining what the internet has brought, what it has wrought, and if the costs have begun to outweigh the benefits. This free virtual event will take place on Wednesday, October 14, 2026 at 12:30 p.m. CDT / 1:30 p.m. EDT. Register here.

UPCOMING EVENT

Join the Bulletin for Conversations Before Midnight

Existential risks are on the rise. Can our leaders meet the moment? At the Bulletin’s annual gathering, Conversations Before Midnight, on November 12th in Chicago, we’ll dive into that question with former Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and Chicago Public Media CEO Melissa Bell. Tickets start at $75 for the Reception and Keynote Discussion. Learn more here.

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