Pessimistic scientists have predicted that the world will end and humanity will perish before the end of this year, 2026, meaning within the next few weeks. The frightening aspect of this prophecy is that one of these scientists had previously made accurate predictions concerning artificial intelligence, astonishing scientists and observers when what he said came to pass, and they did not believe him.
According to a report published by the British newspaper "Daily Star," which "Al Arabiya.net" has reviewed, researchers anticipate the arrival of "Judgment Day" and the end of the world before the year 2026 is out.
This prophecy actually stems from a study dating back to 1960, published in the prestigious scientific journal "Science," conducted by three prominent researchers from the University of Illinois, who warned of a catastrophic event occurring on Friday, November 13, 2026.
The three scientists—Heinz von Foerster, Patricia M. Mora, and Lawrence W. Amiyot—reached this alarming conclusion by studying prevailing trends in Western society; their theory was based on the idea that the Earth would reach a breaking point due to massive and accelerating population growth.
When the study was published, the world population was approximately three billion, while today this number has jumped to nearly 8.3 billion.
This was not the first time some had predicted the end of our planet, but this study received special attention as it stemmed from solid scientific research, according to the "Daily Express."
Furthermore, one of the contributors to the study, the Austrian-American scientist von Foerster, had also made a keen prediction regarding the risks of artificial intelligence long before it became an integral part of daily life for countless individuals.
In an interview he conducted in 1995 with "The Information Philosopher" to discuss this technology, von Foerster made it clear that it is dangerous to assume that artificial intelligence "thinks" in the same way humans do.
Von Foerster—who passed away in 2002—argued that the capability of artificial intelligence to perform tasks that seem intelligent does not equate to human intelligence, describing this assumption as "dangerous."
After 31 years, real concerns arise regarding people's current reliance on artificial intelligence for communication that mimics human interaction; some individuals have even reached a point where they form emotional attachments with chatbots.
Scientists say that the astonishing accuracy of von Foerster's predictions concerning the future relationship between humanity and artificial intelligence adds a more troubling dimension to his warning about the end of the world; according to this scientist and his colleagues, the world population will reach its peak in just over two months. Their catastrophic predictions are not related to nuclear war or environmental disasters; in their view, the end of the world will result from excessive population growth.
According to official forecasts, the world population is expected to reach approximately 10.3 billion by the mid-2080s before it ultimately begins to decline.