Doomer

Doomer refers to those who believe that if AI goes wrong, it could lead to a catastrophe (doom) for humanity, and who push for slowing down development and building strong safeguards. The term started as something close to a slur used by the opposing camp, but now some researchers embrace the label for themselves.

The symbol of this camp is p(doom) — a half-joking figure representing "the probability that AI causes catastrophe." It became a fixture after well-known researchers gave answers like "my p(doom) is 10%" in interviews. What matters isn't the exact number, but the fact that serious researchers answer with anything above zero at all.

On the other side is accelerationism, which holds that slowing down is itself the real danger. Stories about AI regulation bills, the founding of safety institutes, or safety teams leaving companies are mostly playing out on the tug-of-war line between these two camps.

"Industry stirs over so-and-so's p(doom) remarks" — this term shows up whenever a well-known researcher or executive mentions a probability of AI risk. It's also used to label camps in articles debating AI regulation.