Humanity has arrived at a threshold moment in its relationship with artificial intelligence: the question of whether this technology could end civilization has migrated from philosophical speculation into the pages of Nature, The Guardian, and The Washington Post. Researchers like computer scientist Toby Walsh have mapped five concrete pathways toward AI-driven catastrophe, and major scientific institutions are now applying genuine rigor to separate plausible risk from amplified fear. The challenge before policymakers and builders alike is not whether to take these questions seriously, but how