Editorial Policy
Our unwavering commitment to accuracy, transparency, and scientific rigor in reporting on artificial general intelligence development, timelines, and implications.
Last Updated: July 11, 2025|Version: 3.0
Editorial Commitment
The AI Doomsday Countdown operates under the highest editorial standards in the field of AI safety and AGI timeline research. Given the critical importance of these predictions and their potential societal impact, we maintain rigorous protocols for content creation, verification, and publication.
Our editorial framework combines journalistic integrity with scientific rigor, ensuring that every piece of information published meets the standards expected of peer-reviewed academic research while remaining accessible to the general public.
Foundational Editorial Principles
These six core principles guide every editorial decision and content creation process.
Accuracy Above All
We prioritize factual accuracy over speed, sensationalism, or traffic metrics. Every claim must be verifiable through multiple credible sources and subjected to rigorous fact-checking protocols.
Radical Transparency
We provide complete disclosure of our sources, methodologies, limitations, funding, and any potential conflicts of interest. Readers deserve to know exactly how our analyses are conducted.
Scientific Rigor
All content must meet or exceed academic standards for evidence and reasoning. Major analyses undergo peer review by subject matter experts before publication.
Balanced Perspective
We present multiple viewpoints on contested issues, acknowledge uncertainty, and provide necessary context for all predictions and analyses without false balance.
Editorial Independence
Editorial decisions are made solely based on scientific merit and public interest, free from commercial, political, or institutional pressure of any kind.
Continuous Evolution
We regularly review and update content as new information emerges, maintain version control, and implement community feedback while correcting errors promptly and transparently.
Content Creation Workflow
Our comprehensive five-stage process ensures every piece of content meets our exacting standards.
Research & Data Collection
Comprehensive gathering of primary and secondary sources with strict credibility requirements.
- Primary sources: Direct statements from AI researchers, organizations, and institutions
- Peer-reviewed publications from top-tier academic journals and conferences
- Official reports, datasets, and documentation from AI labs and research institutions
- Verified expert interviews, surveys, and consensus studies
- Government reports, policy documents, and regulatory announcements
- Real-time monitoring of AI capabilities benchmarks and testing results
Analysis & Synthesis
Expert analysis and synthesis of collected data with transparent methodologies.
- Subject matter experts conduct initial analysis and interpretation
- Statistical methodologies applied with clear documentation of assumptions
- Uncertainty quantification and confidence interval calculations
- Cross-validation of findings against multiple independent sources
- Clear attribution and citation for all claims and interpretations
- Plain language explanations for complex technical concepts
Multi-Layer Review
Comprehensive review process involving multiple expert perspectives and validation checks.
- Technical accuracy review by domain experts and researchers
- Editorial review for clarity, accessibility, and narrative coherence
- Legal and ethical review for sensitive content and implications
- Bias detection and mitigation assessment
- Source verification and citation validation
- Final editorial approval and sign-off process
Publication & Documentation
Careful publication with comprehensive documentation and metadata.
- Clear publication timestamps and version control implementation
- Comprehensive source documentation and bibliography
- Methodology appendices for complex analyses
- Uncertainty statements and confidence level indicators
- Related content linking and cross-referencing
- Accessibility optimization and mobile responsiveness
Monitoring & Maintenance
Ongoing monitoring for accuracy and regular updates as new information emerges.
- Continuous monitoring for new research and developments
- Quarterly comprehensive review of all predictions and analyses
- Community feedback integration and response system
- Error detection and rapid correction protocols
- Content freshness audits and update scheduling
- Performance analytics and engagement monitoring
Advanced Fact-Checking Methodology
Our proprietary eight-stage verification process ensures the highest level of accuracy.
Source Authentication
Verification of source credibility through our comprehensive database of verified experts, institutions, and publications with impact factor analysis.
Claim Verification
Every factual claim undergoes verification against multiple independent sources with documentation of methodology and confidence levels.
Technical Validation
Subject matter experts review technical accuracy, methodology soundness, and interpretation validity with detailed technical appendices.
Cross-Reference Analysis
Comprehensive cross-referencing with our existing database to identify inconsistencies, conflicts, or updates to previous information.
Bias Detection
Systematic analysis for selection bias, confirmation bias, and other cognitive biases with independent reviewer validation.
Temporal Validation
Verification that information remains current and relevant with tracking of temporal changes and update requirements.
Uncertainty Quantification
Mathematical modeling of uncertainty with confidence intervals, probability distributions, and sensitivity analysis.
Final Verification
Comprehensive final review with sign-off from senior editors and external expert validation for high-impact predictions.
Source Standards & Criteria
Clear guidelines for acceptable and unacceptable sources with quality tiers and validation requirements.
Tier 1: Primary Sources
- Peer-reviewed journals
Nature, Science, JMLR, ICML, NeurIPS proceedings
- Direct statements from researchers
Published papers, official interviews, recorded presentations
- Official organizational reports
OpenAI, DeepMind, Anthropic, government agencies
- Verified expert surveys
AI Impacts surveys, FHI expert opinion polls
Tier 2: Secondary Sources
- Established news organizations (Reuters, AP, Bloomberg)
- Specialized tech publications (AI News, VentureBeat AI)
- Think tank reports (CFR, Brookings, RAND)
Prohibited Sources
- Anonymous claims
Unverifiable sources, anonymous leaks without corroboration
- Social media speculation
Twitter threads, Reddit posts, forum discussions
- Promotional materials
Marketing content, press releases without independent verification
- Conflicted sources
Financial conflicts of interest without disclosure
Conditional Sources
- Preprints (with clear non-peer-reviewed disclosure)
- Industry reports (with bias acknowledgment)
- Expert blogs (with credibility verification)
Commitment to Excellence
Our editorial standards represent our commitment to providing the most accurate, transparent, and valuable information about AGI development. We continuously evolve these standards based on best practices and community feedback.