# Nearly one in five AI researchers already expected an extinction scenario from AI back in 2024 > Source: > Published: 2026-09-16 10:20:02+00:00 # Nearly one in five AI researchers already expected an extinction scenario from AI back in 2024 [The Decoder](https://the-decoder.com) [Anthropic](https://www.machinebrief.com/glossary/anthropic) researcher Jacob Coxon sparked an intense debate about existential AI risks with a single tweet. [OpenAI](https://www.machinebrief.com/glossary/openai) researcher Daniel Selsam warns of a "ticking time bomb," and a former [Deepmind](https://www.machinebrief.com/glossary/deepmind) researcher says AI could kill us all. In a survey of more than 1,500 leading AI researchers, the average estimated probability of an extinction scenario was 18 percent. That was in 2024. The number keeps climbing. The article [Nearly one in five AI researchers already expected an extinction scenario from AI back in 2024](https://the-decoder.com/nearly-one-in-five-ai-researchers-already-expected-an-extinction-scenario-from-ai-back-in-2024/) appeared first on [The Decoder](https://the-decoder.com). Get AI news in your inbox Daily digest of what matters in AI. ## Key Terms Explained [Anthropic](https://www.machinebrief.com/glossary/anthropic) An AI safety company founded in 2021 by former OpenAI researchers, including Dario and Daniela Amodei. [Decoder](https://www.machinebrief.com/glossary/decoder) The part of a neural network that generates output from an internal representation. [DeepMind](https://www.machinebrief.com/glossary/deepmind) A leading AI research lab, now part of Google. [OpenAI](https://www.machinebrief.com/glossary/openai) The AI company behind ChatGPT, GPT-4, DALL-E, and Whisper.