Doomsday Clock, that is a symbolic timepiece showing how close humanity is to self-destruction, has been set to 85 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever
been to catastrophe, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and Security Board (SASB) announced on Tuesday. Announcing that the Doomsday clock has been set closest to midnight, the SASB in its bulletin called for urgent action to limit nuclear arsenals, create international guidelines on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and form multilateral agreements to address global biological threats.
How a Doomsday Clock Is Set
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Science and Security Board (SASB), in consultation with its Board of Sponsors, which includes eight Nobel Laureates, determines the time of the Doomsday clock.
What Are the Major Factors That Determine the Doomsday Clock?
In 2026, the major factors that pushed the Doomsday clock closer to catastrophe are growing nuclear weapons threats, disruptive technologies like Artificial Intelligence, multiple biological security concerns, and the climate crisis.
In January 2025, the Doomsday Clock was set at 89 seconds to midnight; however, this year, it has been moved 4 seconds closer to the devastation.
Daniel Holz, PhD, professor and SASB chair, said in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, “The dangerous trends in nuclear risk, climate change, disruptive technologies like AI, and biosecurity are accompanied by another frightening development: the rise of nationalistic autocracies in countries around the world. Our greatest challenges require international trust and cooperation, and a world splintering into ‘us versus them’ will leave all of humanity more vulnerable.”
A 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, co-founder and CEO of Rappler, Maria Ressa, said that without facts, there is no truth.
“Without truth, there is no trust. And without these, the radical collaboration this moment demands is impossible. We are living through an information Armageddon— the crisis beneath all crises— driven by extractive and predatory technology that spreads lies faster than facts and profits from our division. We cannot solve problems we cannot agree exist. We cannot cooperate across borders when we cannot even share the same facts. Nuclear threats, climate collapse, AI risks: none can be addressed without first rebuilding our shared reality. The clock is ticking,“ she said.
What Does The Doomsday Clock Statement Read?
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and Security Board said that a year ago, they warned that the world was perilously close to global disaster and that any delay in reversing course increased the probability of catastrophe.
“Rather than heed this warning, Russia, China, the United States, and other major countries have instead become increasingly aggressive, adversarial, and nationalistic,” it said.
“Hard-won global understandings are collapsing, accelerating a winner-takes-all great power competition and undermining the international cooperation critical to reducing the risks of nuclear war, climate change, the misuse of biotechnology, the potential threat of artificial intelligence, and other apocalyptic dangers,” it said.
“Far too many leaders have grown complacent and indifferent, in many cases adopting rhetoric and policies that accelerate rather than mitigate these existential risks,” it added.
