What Would the AI Apocalypse Look Like? We Went Looking for Answers

Gadget Lab: Weekly Tech News by WIRED

Sep 17, 202637:05Technology

The debate of whether AI can kill us has been everywhere lately, but how exactly would an actual AI catastrophe look like? This week, the team went looking for answers and found the three real-world scenarios experts wor...

Related Episodes

Continue listening to more episodes from Gadget Lab: Weekly Tech News.

Inside Elon Musk's Midterm Spending Spree; What Is Effective Altruism Exactly?

Oct 8, 2026 - 30:43

This week, the team dives into how Elon Musk's America PAC is spending millions on the most consequential...

Kevin Roose Didn’t Use AI to Write His Book About AI

Oct 6, 2026 - 35:57

The author of The AGI Chronicles says his book “was written by a very tired, overworked, under-slept huma...

Are AI Agents Worth the Risk? and Trump’s Pinky Swear AI Safety ‘Accord

Oct 1, 2026 - 44:44

This week, President Trump issued a new “morally binding” AI accord after a lunch meeting with tech execu...

There Is No ‘Existential Threat’ From AI Says Timnit Gebru

Sep 29, 2026 - 31:43

One of AI’s fiercest critics believes the doom talk is about founders making money, not saving humanity....

Inside the Network of Anonymous Men Destroying Young Women's Lives

Sep 24, 2026 - 19:14

Last year, Maddie Kowalski was a regular sophomore attending the University of Florida. That is until one...

Patti Harrison Grew Up With Tech As Her North Star. Not Anymore.

Sep 22, 2026 - 34:43

Comedian Patti Harrison hates social media. She wishes she didn't have to use it at all. To her, the inte...

If the US Collapses Soon, Don’t Blame Emily St. John Mandel

Sep 15, 2026 - 34:01

Emily St. John Mandel’s 2014 novel, Station Eleven, turned her into something of a pandemic prophet. This...

So, Can AI Kill Us All?; Apple’s Foldable iPhone; the Census’ Bad Data Problem

Sep 10, 2026 - 30:05

This week, an AI researcher's resignation from Anthropic went viral on social media after he claimed ther...