Government report warns of dire disruptions coming in the next decade

A new report from the Canadian government details 35 possible disruptions that could have major impacts on the country over the next few years.

Many of the disruptions are interconnected and include things like rogue AI, rampant mis- and disinformation and ecosystem collapse. But there are also more significant disruptions highlighted, like the possibility of world war or a U.S. civil war. The report also takes into account the likelihood of certain disruptions as well as how soon they could happen.

The top 10 disruptions with high likelihood and impact highlighted in the report include:

1. People can’t tell what’s true and what’s fake — three years
2. Loss of biodiversity and ecosystem collapse — seven years
3. Emergency response is overwhelmed — six years
4. Cyberattacks disable critical infrastructure — four years
5. Billionaires run the world — five years
6. Artificial intelligence runs wild — six years
7. Scarcity of vital natural resources — eight years
8. Downward social mobility becomes the norm — five years
9. Collapse of healthcare systems — six years
10. Collapse of democratic systems — six years

Some of these things are connected. For example, the first disruption on the list stems from human- and AI-generated dis- and misinformation, but AI risks also occupy other spots on the list.

The report also included a map depicting the likelihood and impact of various disruptions, as well as how far away each disruption is.

The report was created by Policy Horizons Canada, which is a federal organization that helps the government create stronger policies and programs to contend with the future.

The full report is available here.

Header image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Government of Canada Via: CTV News