We greet the news that AI could extinguish us with a glazed indifference. What is the way out of this nihilism? | Brigid Delaney

Summary

The article argues that fear of artificial intelligence, climate pressures, economic instability, and other overlapping crises have produced widespread pessimism and emotional numbness. It begins with an anecdote about a father who briefly regretted having children after hearing claims that AI could cause human extinction within 10 years. The author suggests that people increasingly view education, careers, home ownership, retirement, and family life through the possibility that AI will eliminate jobs, undermine human purpose, or destabilize society. The article also raises concerns about AI’s energy and water consumption, its growing role in workplaces and emotional support, and its potential effect on critical thinking and collective action. These concerns are attributed generally to recent news and public discussion rather than documented in detail. The proposed response is not to abandon technology entirely, but to “wake up,” resist fatalism, and return to principles of human flourishing. The author defines flourishing as independent thought, direct human relationships, care for the natural world, and technology used within appropriate limits. The conclusion calls for active civic and cultural resistance to AI applications believed to threaten those goods.