Future proof: The opportunity to transform the UK's resilience to extreme risks

Abstract

At several points in humanity’s long history, there have been great transitions in human affairs that accelerated progress and transformed everything that would follow. The UK may now be upon the threshold of such a moment where it can become a global leader in ensuring long-term resilience to extreme risks, not just pandemics. The capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) systems have increased significantly in recent years. Though there is still widespread debate and uncertainty, some AI experts have estimated that there is a significant chance that AI ultimately achieves human-level intelligence in the coming decades. Amid rapid developments in synthetic biology and biotechnology, which offer great benefits, there are also harrowing prospects of misuse. Therefore, governments must urgently address AI and biosecurity policy shortcomings to prevent catastrophic events, whether natural or human-caused. This report offers policy recommendations to UK policymakers in the areas of biosecurity, AI, risk management, and extreme risk research funding. These recommendations are intended to help the UK transform its extreme risk resilience, keep pace with the significant steps the United States is taking in this area, and match academic excellence in the field of extreme risks with policy leadership. – AI-generated abstract.