ai doomer
/ˌeɪ.aɪ ˈduː.mər/
UncommonSomeone who believes advanced AI will likely cause catastrophic harm or human extinction.
Used both sincerely by people who hold this view and dismissively by critics who think they are overreacting. Context determines whether it is a self-label or an insult.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Half my timeline is ai doomers and the other half thinks we are living in a golden age. Wild times. | The speaker is observing the polarized debate about AI risk online. | x, 2024 |
| 02 | I used to think the ai doomers were being dramatic. Now I am not so sure. | The speaker is reconsidering their skepticism about AI risk. | reddit, 2024 |
| 03 | The ai doomer crowd is going to stop all progress just because they watched too much sci-fi. | Dismissing AI safety concerns as paranoid and irrational. | x, 2023 |
| 04 | Proud ai doomer here. Read the actual research before you call us crazy. | Someone claiming the label as a positive identity and defending the position. | reddit, 2024 |
Use it when
- Someone argues AI development should be paused or heavily regulated due to extinction risk.
- Someone expresses strong pessimism about AI safety outcomes.
- Labeling a camp in debates about AI risk vs AI progress.
Do not use it when
- Someone is mildly worried about job loss from AI.
- Someone is just critical of a specific AI product or company.
AI doomer vs AI accelerationist
ai doomer
AI doomers think unchecked AI development leads to catastrophe and want to slow down or stop it.
VS
ai-accelerationist
AI accelerationists think rapid AI development is good and opposition is misguided.
Origin and context
Emerged in online AI safety and tech communities in the early 2020s to describe people who believe advanced AI poses existential risk. Gained mainstream visibility as large language models became public.
- First seen
- early-2020s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/ai-doomerUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0