
Juliet Henry
Communications Manager
Yesterday, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced that the hands of the Doomsday Clock have moved forward. The world is now 89 seconds from midnight—the closest to catastrophe we have ever been.
With wars raging in two nuclear-armed regions, a spiraling arms race, the weakening of international arms control frameworks, and even discussion of resuming explosive nuclear testing in the United States, the risks of nuclear catastrophe are unacceptably high. At the same time, the world is grappling with mounting biosecurity concerns. Diseases such as the H5N1 bird flu continue to threaten global security, exacerbated by weak pandemic preparedness infrastructure, the spread of misinformation, and a growing mistrust of science. These dynamics are made even more dangerous by President Trump’s recent executive order to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization. Intersecting with these issues are the risks posed by AI and new emerging technologies; while these innovations promise significant benefits for society, they also hold opportunities for accidental or deliberate misuse.
As we inch closer to catastrophe, we also remember that 2025 is the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is a poignant reminder of why we must fight to turn back the hands of the Doomsday Clock and work towards a safer future.
NTI’s Critical Mass project is increasing public awareness and engagement on nuclear issues by leveraging cultural moments and organizing digital demonstrations to remind people that we can make nukes history. This year’s work will include a commemoration of 80 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and new creative strategies to remind the public that nuclear weapons should never be used again.
Resuming explosive nuclear weapons testing in the United States, as some government officials are advocating, is unnecessary, reckless, and would undermine America’s national security. In 2024, NTI helped organize Nevadans Against Nuclear Testing, a nonpartisan coalition of business leaders, elected officials, community, labor, and environmental groups poised to advocate against efforts to resume testing at the Nevada Test Site in the years to come.
Emerging technologies hold both promise and risk. That’s why NTI recently launched our newest program FutureSafe: AI and Emerging Technology. FutureSafe aims to keep NTI’s work ahead of the curve by addressing the risks while capitalizing on the innovations and opportunities associated with AI and emerging technologies.
The integration of AI with the life sciences offers tremendous potential benefits to society. However, advances in biotechnologies like AI biodesign tools also pose significant risks of misuse, with the potential for global consequences. NTI | bio is dedicated to safeguarding against the misuse of these tools to ensure that their benefits can be realized safely and securely.
As emerging technologies are rapidly transforming life science research and broadening access to advanced capabilities to engineer living systems, responsible innovation hinges on funding decisions that carefully weigh potential benefits against risks. That’s why NTI | bio partnered with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to establish the Bio Funders Compact (BFC)—a public commitment by life science funders to incorporate biosecurity into their decision-making processes. NTI | bio is bringing the BFC signatories together for the Bio Funders Forum to discuss best practices for embedding biosafety and biosecurity into their work.
While climate change is not usually in NTI’s existential crisis portfolio, nuclear energy—which can play a crucial role in providing clean electricity and reducing carbon emissions—certainly is. NTI, Clean Air Task Force, and the EFI Foundation announced a partnership called the Nuclear Scaling Initiative (NSI), a project to ensure that nuclear energy propels progress toward climate, energy security, and economic development goals without leading to more nuclear weapons.
A core tenant of NTI’s work is bringing together experts from around the world to share knowledge and engage on solving critical problems. Whether it is a meeting of the Global Dialogue on Nuclear Security, the International Partnership on Nuclear Disarmament Verification, or the Biosecurity Innovation and Risk Reduction Initiative, providing opportunities for experts to collaborate on solutions to nuclear, biological and emerging tech threats is at the heart of what we do.
The clock may have moved forward this year, but our goal is to make sure it does not go any further. Building a brighter future requires encouraging the development of young and diverse security professionals who are prepared to carry the torch. That’s why our Next Generation for Biosecurity Competition and internship program are so crucial to the NTI mission.
The Bulletin’s announcement underscores the importance and urgency of the work we do here at NTI. As former President of Colombia and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Juan Manuel Santos said at the announcement event, “Every second counts. Let us use each one wisely.”
There is still time to turn back the clock and protect our future.
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