# Steven Pinker urges practical AI safety over doomsday warnings

> Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker says fears of AI wiping out humanity are overstated, but warns about nearer-term risks such as bioterrorism and cyberattacks. He argues for independent oversight, liability and human control instead of apocalyptic rhetoric.

Oossa · 2026-09-28 · https://oossa.com/en/steven-pinker-urges-practical-ai-safety-over-doomsday-warnings

In an open letter published on Quillette, Pinker responds to psychiatrist and blogger Scott Alexander, who had challenged him to debate AI’s existential risks. Pinker declined, calling public debates a “spectator sport.”

Pinker says he underestimated how capable large language models would become and how quickly companies would release them. He rejects scenarios in which an AI pursues one goal at any cost, but says unchecked AI agents, cyberattacks and bioterrorism deserve serious attention.

## The facts

- Pinker says Alexander’s estimate that AI could wipe out humanity is 20 percent.
- Pinker calls for independent oversight, legal liability and human control as parts of AI safety.

## Why it matters

The disagreement highlights a practical question for AI policy: how to address real security risks without relying on predictions of human extinction.

## Sources & references

1. [Harvard psychologist calls for sober AI safety engineering over doomsday rhetoric](https://the-decoder.com/harvard-psychologist-calls-for-sober-ai-safety-engineering-over-doomsday-rhetoric/) – The Decoder, 2026-09-28

Last updated: 2026-09-28