Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, January 19th 2026

Posted: 19th January 2026

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January 19, 2026

The number of incidents in the AI Incident Database has increased over time, with half of the 861 entries appearing since 2022. The data is current as of December 2024.

What experts can learn by tracking AI harms

Since 2018, researchers have been documenting stories of artificial intelligence’s harmful outcomes in the AI Incident Database. The database is not an archive of all of AI’s problems, but rather its most newsworthy ones. Science journalist Katie Peek explains the categories and highlights key stories in the database. Read more.

A Modest Briefing

What if the United States military was all just for … show? A winning story selected by Kim Stanley Robinson in the Bulletin’s “Write Before Midnight” contest brings that question to life. From the imagination of Robert Levinsonemerges a funny—yet perplexing—metaphor that Robinson says “captures some of the truth of the situation.” This magazine article is available to all readers for a limited time.

VIDEO

Harnessing the power of art and storytelling

On Thursday, major American author Kim Stanley Robinson, Grammy-winning musician David Harrington, UN Consultant Lovely Umayam, and BulletinPresident and CEO Alexandra Bell had an illuminating conversation on the role art plays in combating global threats. Watch now.

Space trash: Orbit shows where the circular economy breaks down

Despite decades of warnings, governments and private companies have continued launching missions with little planning for what happens after their useful life, reports Jessica Coria. The result is a growing halo of waste around Earth, and the trend is accelerating. Read more.

EVENTS

Doomsday Clock events

After the Doomsday Clock announcement on January 27th, you can continue the conversation around existential risk by joining one or both afternoon panel discussions hosted by Bulletin partners.

• 1:30-2:30 p.m. ET “Technology and the Bomb: Evaluating Proliferation Risks in a Rapidly Evolving World” at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Register to attend in-person or virtually.

• 3:00-4:30 p.m. ET “2026 Doomsday Clock Town Hall” at Georgetown University. Register to attend in-person or virtually.

IN THE NEWS

Is nuclear disarmament set to self-destruct?

In February, the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between Russia and the United States will expire. Bulletin President and CEO Alexandra Bell took part in an episode of The Inquiry, a BBC podcast, to describe historical and current nuclear proliferation trends and share her thoughts on if the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is effective. Listen now.

OPEN POSITION

Apply to be a Bulletin assistant multimedia editor

The Bulletin is searching for an organized, creative, and committed assistant multimedia editor to help shape our coverage of existential threats. All candidates must have excellent general journalism skills and the ability to work with high-profile writers and top experts. Apply now.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“[If the United States invades Greenland], there would be absolutely no winners because the Americans already have access to Greenland … Where they have full military access, they can have as many bases as they want … If they want to do mining in Greenland, the door is also wide open … [An invasion] would cause a lot of problems because our relationship would be over. Our alliance would be finished. And we would also have a complete meltdown of NATO.”

— Rasmus Jarlov, chair of the defence committee in the Danish parliament, “US-Europe standoff on Greenland ‘a big win for Putin’: Danish parliament defence chair,” France 24

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