If an AI crisis gets out of control: what it could mean and what to do
Plain-language scenarios for an AI-related crisis, what you would notice, what helps, and a one-hour, one-weekend and one-month plan.
Short answer
If AI-related failures ever spread beyond what people can contain, the first things you would lose are power, networks, payments, deliveries and trustworthy information, possibly for days or weeks. The same basic preparation covers all of them: water, light, warmth, cash, a battery radio, medicine, food for a month, paper copies of what matters, and an offline library. None of this needs you to believe in any particular scenario.
This page is the practical companion to why Day Zero exists. It describes possible situations; none is predicted.
What it could look like
| Possible situation | What you would notice | What helps most | Start here |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI-assisted attack on power or networks | Outages, no mobile signal, cash machines down | Water, light, warmth, radio, cash | 72 hours, energy, communication |
| Cascading failure of AI-dependent services | Payments fail, shelves empty, deliveries stop | Food for a month, cash, paper contacts and maps | what to store, 7 days |
| Flood of false information | Conflicting news, fake officials, panic | Radio, trusted local sources, family code words | communication, network |
| Autonomous systems acting outside limits | Sudden market, supply or service shocks | Savings in more than one form, local skills | 30 days, teamwork |
| Loss of control of very advanced AI (hypothetical) | Unknown | Keeping knowledge, people and small groups intact | rebuild path, knowledge |
What to do, by time
In one hour
- Fill a few containers with water. Charge phones and power banks. Write down five phone numbers on paper, and agree two meeting points with your household.
- Check the monitor so you know today's level.
In one weekend
- Do step 1 and 2 of the storage list: 14 days of water, light, warmth, fire, and food for a month.
- Download the offline kit to two drives and keep one outside your home.
- Read the first 72 hours.
In one month
- Add medicine, tools and seeds. Learn first aid from a certified course.
- Run the weekend drill once.
- Meet neighbours and share a copy of the archive (network plan).
Every month
- Refresh the download kit and re-check your drive. See Downloads.
What not to do
- Do not panic-buy or hoard medicine others need. Buy a little extra each week.
- Do not spread unverified claims. In a real crisis, rumours hurt more than shortages.
- Do not isolate. Groups survive what individuals cannot (teamwork).
- Do not ignore authorities while they can still be reached.
How likely is it?
Nobody knows. Experts disagree, and most serious scenarios are hypothetical today. What is real now is smaller: outages, AI-assisted fraud and hacking, and misleading content. We record those on the monitor and in the incident record. Preparing for the small ones already covers much of the large ones.
Who is this for?
Families, small businesses, clinics, schools and communities that would like a calm, written plan. If you only read one thing, read the first 72 hours.