Atomic scientists on Tuesday set the 2026 “Doomsday Clock” to 85 seconds to midnight, the closest it’s ever been to a theoretical annihilation.
Familiar risks to human existence such as nuclear weapons and climate change were cited by the scientists, along with new technologies like artificial intelligence, which they argued is being used to spread disinformation. This is the third time that the clock has been moved closer to midnight in the past five years.
“Every second counts, and we are running out of time. It is a hard truth, but this is our reality,” President and CEO of Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist Alexandra Bell said.
Read more: After Russia Conducts Nuclear Weapons Tests, Trump Announces U.S. Will Restart Its Own
The “Doomsday Clock” is a symbolic time set by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists that represents how close humanity is to destroying our own world through disruptive technologies. It was created in 1947 during the Cold War, when the United States and the Soviet Union were heading into a nuclear arms race in full force.
The scientists underscored the significance of AI technology and how it’s used to supercharge disinformation. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa said during the announcement that the world is living through “informational armageddon” thanks to the development of social media and generative AI, neither of which is “anchored in facts.”
“Human beings have been commodified by a predatory and extractive industry,” Ressa said.
The scientists also noted the recent conflicts between nuclear-armed states and called on the Trump Administration to reduce the danger of nuclear proliferation by reengaging with Russia.
The New START Treaty, the last remaining treaty that would limit all Russian deployed intercontinental-range nuclear weapons, is set to expire on Feb. 4 without a clear signal that it will be renewed.
Previously, Putin suspended all inspections and treaty-mandated data exchange in 2023 over the war in Ukraine, but has expressed interest in restarting nuclear arms talks in 2025. Trump has not responded to Putin’s offer.
“This is a piece of low-hanging fruit that the Trump Administration should have seized months ago,” Science and Security Board member Jon B. Wolfsthal said, while adding that both countries could reach an agreement as soon as “today.”
Bell added that although the Trump Administration has issued policies on multiple fronts that tipped the clock closer to midnight, leaders around the world have failed egregiously.
“No matter the government, a shift toward neo-imperialism, an Orwellian approach to governance would only serve to push the clock toward midnight,” she said.
Although the problems the world faces can feel overwhelming, Bell said they are human-made and still solvable.
“There is not a single elegant solution for any of the problems that we are facing, but these problems are solvable,” Bell said. “Every time we’ve been able to turn back the hands of the clock, it’s been because we have scientists and experts working to find solutions, and the public was demanding action.”
