In the hierarchy

1. Part III: Governance, Power & Existential Concerns
2. D23. Catastrophic & Existential Risk
3. 23.1 Catastrophic misuse

Virtues and principles to explore

Held as inquiry, not as a verdict.

• Hope

  Hope

  Stand in uncertainty, where there is room to act — not in optimism or despair.

• Humility

  Center principle

  The map is larger than any one of us.

• Courage

  Hope

  Act without the comfort of certainty.

Starter questions

Written to probe curiosity and learning, not accusation.

1. 01What would trustworthiness look like here: what we do, what we say, and the belief others form?
2. 02What would it look like if we held “AI-enabled WMD proliferation” with proportion rather than alarm?
3. 03If we named this complication in advance, what small, reversible step would let us learn?
4. 04How would we know we were getting this wrong? What would we observe, without blaming a person?

Also on this branch

• Engineered pandemic risk10
• Mass cyber-attack scenarios15
• Autonomous conflict escalation10
• Decisive strategic advantage by a single actor10

Frameworks and sources

• UK International Scientific Report on Advanced AI Safetyreport
• MIT AI Risk Repositoryframework

See also exemplar policies.