What Are Infohazards? And Why Do They Matter in the Age of AI

Some Ideas Are Dangerous Just by Being Known

We usually think of danger as something physical, like a weapon, a virus, a machine gone wrong. But what if information itself could be harmful? Not because it’s false, but because it’s true, and we weren’t ready to handle it.

That’s the concept behind an infohazard, a piece of knowledge that can cause harm simply by being shared or understood.

In the age of artificial intelligence, where information flows faster and further than ever before, understanding infohazards is extremely important.

What Is an Infohazard?

An infohazard is any piece of information that can cause harm to individuals, societies, or even humanity, just by being known or spread. The term was popularized by philosopher Nick Bostrom, who studies the long-term impact of emerging technologies.

Here are a few types:

• Self-fulfilling infohazards – Ideas that become dangerous when people believe them (like mass panic from false doomsday predictions).

• Instructional infohazards – Knowledge that teaches people how to cause harm (like how to build a bioweapon).

• Cognitive infohazards – Thoughts that cause mental distress or manipulation (like Roko’s Basilisk).

The danger isn't in what the information does. It’s in what it causes us to do, or fear.

Why This Matters More With AI

AI doesn’t just process information. It spreads it, amplifies it, and makes it more persuasive than ever.

Imagine:

• A deepfake video that causes mass unrest.

• An AI-designed virus blueprint accidentally leaked online.

• An AI system that suggests an unsafe idea because it didn’t understand human values.

And then there’s Roko’s Basilisk, a purely hypothetical idea that still caused real distress online. It’s a perfect example of a cognitive infohazard. Once you understand it, you’re stuck in the logic. It doesn’t physically hurt you, but it alters your thinking in ways you can’t easily ignore.

As AI becomes more capable, the line between data, belief, and action gets thinner and infohazards become more real.

What Should We Do About It?

Infohazards are tricky because suppressing them can backfire. Telling people not to think about something often makes them want to know more. But ignoring the concept entirely leaves us open to serious risks.

Here’s what we can do:

• Build AI systems with caution – They should be trained not just to spread accurate information, but also to consider the impact of that information.

• Promote responsible research – Not every breakthrough should be public. Some things require ethical reflection before release.

• Improve digital literacy – People should understand how ideas can manipulate or disturb, even when they seem harmless.

Conclusion: Not All Knowledge Is Neutral

Infohazards remind us that knowledge isn’t always safe. In the age of AI, when powerful minds (both human and machine) can create, share, and act on ideas faster than ever, we need to treat information with respect.

Not all truths are harmless. Some ideas are weapons. And some thoughts, once planted, can’t be unthought.