Doomsday Clock

This article is about the symbol of global catastrophe. For the Smashing Pumpkins song, see Doomsday Clock (song). For the comic series, see Doomsday Clock (comics).
"Minutes to midnight" redirects here. For other uses, see Minutes to Midnight (disambiguation).

Doomsday Clock
The Doomsday Clock pictured at its setting of "90 seconds to midnight", last changed in January 2024
FrequencyAnnually
InauguratedJune 1947 (1947-06)
Most recentJanuary 23, 2024
Websitethebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/

The Doomsday Clock is a symbol that represents the likelihood of a human-made global catastrophe, in the opinion of the members of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.[1] Maintained since 1947, the Clock is a metaphor, not a prediction, for threats to humanity from unchecked scientific and technological advances. That is, the time on the Clock is not to be interpreted as actual time. A hypothetical global catastrophe is represented by midnight on the Clock, with the Bulletin's opinion on how close the world is to one represented by a certain number of minutes or seconds to midnight, which is then assessed in January of each year. The main factors influencing the Clock are nuclear warfare, climate change, and artificial intelligence.[2][3] The Bulletin's Science and Security Board monitors new developments in the life sciences and technology that could inflict irrevocable harm to humanity.[4]

The Clock's original setting in 1947 was 7 minutes to midnight. It has since been set backward 8 times and forward 17 times. The farthest time from midnight was 17 minutes in 1991, and the nearest is 90 seconds, set in January 2023.

The Clock was moved to 150 seconds (2 minutes, 30 seconds) in 2017, then forward to 2 minutes to midnight in January 2018, and left unchanged in 2019.[5] In January 2020, it was moved forward to 100 seconds (1 minute, 40 seconds) before midnight.[6] In January 2023, the Clock was moved forward to 90 seconds (1 minute, 30 seconds) before midnight, announced in a live stream, and further explained to be impacted by considerations of biosecurity concerns resulting in large part from the global effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in an article authored by members of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' Science and Security Board, which included public health experts Suzet McKinney and Asha M. George. The board announced that the clock remained unchanged in January 2024.[7][8]

  1. ^ "Science and Security Board". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  2. ^ Morrison, R. (January 23, 2024). Doomsday Clock is 90 seconds to midnight as experts warn “ai among the biggest threats” to humanity. Tom’s Guide. https://www.tomsguide.com/news/ai-a-threat-to-the-end-of-the-world-doomsday-clock-stays-at-90-seconds-to-midnight
  3. ^ Stover, Dawn (September 26, 2013). "How Many Hiroshimas Does it Take to Describe Climate Change?". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013.
  4. ^ "'Doomsday Clock' Moves Two Minutes Closer To Midnight". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. January 17, 2007. Archived from the original on August 26, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  5. ^ "Doomsday Clock 2019 Time". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. January 24, 2019. Archived from the original on January 24, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  6. ^ James, Sara (January 24, 2020). "'If there's ever a time to wake up, it's now': Doomsday Clock moves 20-seconds closer to midnight". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on January 24, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  7. ^ "Doomsday Clock set at 90 seconds to midnight". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. January 24, 2023. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  8. ^ Starkey, Sarah (January 23, 2024). "PRESS RELEASE: Doomsday Clock remains at 90 seconds to midnight". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Retrieved January 25, 2024.