For decades, nuclear war has represented the ultimate doomsday scenario. But investigative journalist and author Annie Jacobsen says biological warfare may pose an even greater overall threat. Unlike nuclear weapons, which require tightly controlled materials, enormously expensive delivery systems, and specialized expertise, the barriers to developing biological weapons can be far lower. And artificial intelligence could lower them further.

Ian Bremmer sits down with Jacobsen to discuss how AI is changing the landscape of catastrophic risk. As increasingly powerful models make sophisticated scientific knowledge easier to access, they could allow bad actors to bypass years of specialized training and dramatically shorten the path from an idea to a potentially dangerous capability.

They also explore the struggle to govern a technology developing faster than regulators can respond, the gaps in existing AI safeguards, and what governments and tech companies could do to identify dangerous vulnerabilities before they are exploited. And they step back to a larger question at the heart of Jacobsen’s work: Why does humanity keep developing technologies with the potential to threaten its own survival – and can our ability to manage those risks ever catch up with our ability to create them?

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This week marks 25 years since 9/11—the deadliest terror attack the world has ever seen and a defining moment in American history. The attacks transformed US politics and national security. The war on terror became the organizing principle of American foreign policy. Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper joins Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World Podcast to reflect on the day that forever changed how Americans thought about national security, and how the United States wielded its enormous power around the world.

How much did we learn from the post-9/11 era and do we risk repeating the same mistakes? 25 years after the US launched its war on terror, America is once again fighting a war in the Middle East without a clear endgame or exit strategy. The United States is on the back foot in its war with Iran, Esper says. The original goal of getting Tehran to the negotiating table about its nuclear program isn’t even being discussed anymore. And meanwhile, the United States is dropping the ball on countering its biggest existential threat: China.

Host: Ian Bremmer

Guest: Mark Esper

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More than half a century after humans last walked on the Moon, the next era of space exploration is taking shape. Getting there is cheaper, private companies are playing a much bigger role, and discoveries like vast reserves of lunar water have made the prospect of establishing a permanent presence on the Moon far more realistic.

Ian Bremmer sits down with Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield to talk about what this new space age could look like. They discuss the growing competition between the US and China, whether rivals can cooperate on the lunar surface, and who gets to write the rules as governments and companies begin looking beyond simply planting a flag.

Hadfield also breaks down the practical challenges of living on the Moon – from powering a settlement through long lunar nights to the unanswered question of whether humans can develop normally in low gravity. He explains how private companies are turning space into a commercial marketplace, why regulation will inevitably struggle to keep pace, and why robots alone can never satisfy humanity’s drive to explore Mars.

And drawing on nearly six months aboard the International Space Station, Hadfield reflects on the surprisingly wonderful experience of sleeping in zero gravity, circling Earth 2,600 times, and how seeing the planet from above fundamentally changed his perspective on humanity and our place in the universe.

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