There is a need for worldwide coordination to prevent risks that come with the development of technologies. The potential upside and downside for various technologies are unpredictable; thus, there must be a coordinated approach to ensure safety across the globe.
The speaker discusses the challenge of achieving cooperation on global technology development due to a lack of trust between countries, referencing the failed proposal of the Baruch Plan to abandon nuclear weapons after World War II as an example.
While there will be unpredictable developments in the next 50-100 years, progress can still be made in mitigating risks, such as political coordination and horizon scanning by research institutes. However, this is often neglected due to bias against investing in what is not yet known, leading to potentially catastrophic consequences such as the ability to build pathogens that could kill billions.