# MIRI Newsletter #123

*If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies*
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*   As we [announced](https://intelligence.org/2025/05/15/yudkowsky-and-soares-announce-major-new-book-if-anyone-builds-it-everyone-dies/) last month, Eliezer and Nate have a book coming out this September: *If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies*. This is MIRI’s major attempt to warn the policy world and the general public about AI. [Preorders are live now](https://ifanyonebuildsit.com/#preorder), and are exceptionally helpful.
*   **Preorder Bonus:** We’re hosting two exclusive virtual events for those who preorder the book! The first is a chat between Nate Soares and Tim Urban ([Wait But Why](https://waitbutwhy.com/)) followed by a Q&A, on August 10 @ noon PT. The second is a Q&A with both Nate and Eliezer in September (date and time TBD). For details, and to obtain access, head to [ifanyonebuildsit.com/events](http://ifanyonebuildsit.com/events).
*   If you have graphic design chops, you can give us a hand by joining the [advertisement design competition](https://intelligence.org/2025/07/01/iabied-advertisement-design-competition/) for the book.
*   As Malo [recently announced](https://intelligence.org/2025/06/18/new-endorsements-for-if-anyone-builds-it-everyone-dies/), advance copies of the book have been getting an incredible reception, with blurbs from:
    *   computer security guru Bruce Schneier;
    *   Suzanne Spaulding, former head of the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the US government’s main agency for cybersecurity and critical infrastructure security;
    *   Jack Shanahan, a retired three-star general and the inaugural director of the Pentagon’s Joint AI Center, the coordinating hub for bringing AI to every branch of the US military;
    *   Jon Wolfsthal, the Obama administration’s senior nuclear security advisor;
    *   legendary biologist George Church;
    *   Nobel-winning economist Ben Bernanke;  
        … and [many others](https://ifanyonebuildsit.com/praise).
*   Nate has written a [follow-up post](https://intelligence.org/2025/06/26/a-case-for-courage-when-speaking-of-ai-danger/) arguing that the time is ripe to speak the truth about AI danger.  
     

Other MIRI updates
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*   In a new [research agenda](https://intelligence.org/2025/05/01/ai-governance-to-avoid-extinction-the-strategic-landscape-and-actionable-research-questions/), MIRI’s Technical Governance Team describes the strategic landscape of AI governance and identifies questions that, if answered, could provide insights for preventing an AI catastrophe.
*   Announcing [The Problem](https://intelligence.org/the-problem/) — MIRI’s new go-to explainer for AI x-risk (at least until our book comes out). We expect this to be an important resource for people new to this topic, and we’ve launched it alongside major updates to [our website](https://intelligence.org/).
*   Eliezer [visited Robinson Erhardt’s podcast](https://youtu.be/0QmDcQIvSDc?feature=shared), Nate was [interviewed by Will Cain](https://x.com/WillCainShow_/status/1927475138796138845) on Fox News, and Malo Bourgon [went on Liv Boeree’s podcast](https://www.winwinpodcast.com/p/why-we-probably-shouldnt-race-to).
*   The Technical Governance Team [submitted recommendations](https://x.com/Volty/status/1900687901308186896) in response to the RFI on the Development of an AI Action Plan.
*   Martin Lucas joined the operations team at MIRI. Previously, Martin was on the ops team at Anthropic. We’re excited to have him aboard!
*   In the new MIRI Single Author Series, authors share their individual perspectives on topics relevant to MIRI’s mission. We have published several new pieces as part of this series:
    *   Max Harms shares [some of his thoughts](https://intelligence.org/2025/04/09/thoughts-on-ai-2027/) on [AI 2027](https://ai-2027.com/), a scenario by Daniel Kokotajlo’s team.
    *   In [Refining MAIM: Identifying Changes Required to Meet Conditions for Deterrence](https://intelligence.org/2025/04/11/refining-maim-identifying-changes-required-to-meet-conditions-for-deterrence/), David Abecassis discusses limitations of the deterrence strategy in [*Superintelligence Strategy*](https://www.nationalsecurity.ai/).
    *   In [So You Want to Work at a Frontier AI Lab](https://intelligence.org/2025/06/11/so-you-want-to-work-at-a-frontier-ai-lab/), Joe Rogero explains why he doesn’t buy the arguments for working at frontier labs.
    *   In [Takeover Not Required](https://intelligence.org/2025/03/14/takeover-not-required/), Duncan Sabien argues that society is likely to willingly hand over control to ASI.
    *   In [a response to OpenAI’s “How we think about safety and alignment,”](https://intelligence.org/2025/03/31/a-response-to-openais-how-we-think-about-safety-and-alignment/) Harlan Stewart raises objections to OpenAI’s strategy and messaging.
    *   Joe Collman, Joe Rogero, and William Brewer argue that there are [dangerous gaps in AI labs’ safety frameworks](https://intelligence.org/2025/04/09/existing-safety-frameworks-imply-unreasonable-confidence/), reflecting the industry’s systematic overconfidence.