A Doomsday Clock reading guide

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has moved its Doomsday Clock to three minutes to midnight, setting it two minutes forward. Its main reasons for the change: inaction on climate change and the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

The Doomsday Clock revision also includes the risks posed by hacking and artificial intelligence. It is the first time IT issues have been considered in the group’s clock-setting deliberations, according Janice Sinclair, the Bulletin’s spokesperson.

The clock was established in 1947, and the furthest it has ever been from midnight was in 1991, when it was set at 17 minutes. The closest was in 1953, when it was set at two minutes to midnight in response to U.S. and Soviet Union nuclear tests.

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