A field guide to AI positions

Information hazards

Source is over 18 months old.

Publication dates and source age

Sources counted: 1

Newest dated source: 2011

Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

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In plain language

Risks created when sharing true information enables harm or makes harmful outcomes more likely. [1]

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Limits & distinctions

The category includes practical cases such as information that enables misuse. Applying the label to a thought experiment requires a separate argument. [1]

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A fuller explanation

Risks arising from the spread of true information that enables harm or makes harmful outcomes more likely. Bostrom's taxonomy includes dangerous data, ideas and attention. [1]

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How it relates to the map

A concept about disclosure and consequences, not an AI risk score or proof that a particular story is dangerous. [1]

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https://theaiatlas.org/ideas/infohazard/

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Sources and what we read

  1. 1. Information Hazards: A Typology of Potential Harms from Knowledge

    Source is over 18 months old.

    Publication dates and source age

    Sources counted: 1

    Newest dated source: 2011

    Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

    Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

    Read definition and taxonomy. Applying the concept to a particular claim requires additional evidence.

Edition and machine-readable evidence

Content version 0.20.0. Evidence cutoff 2026-09-15; this does not mean every source was read on that day.

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