International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons • September 26
On August 6, 1945, at exactly 8:15 a.m., Hiroshima was wiped out in seconds. The world said, “Never again,” promising to keep human judgment ahead of technology. Yet warnings meant to save us often end up speeding up the very things they’re trying to stop.
In 1939, Albert Einstein and physicist Leó Szilárd warned the United States that Nazi Germany might develop atomic weapons. It was meant as defense—a heads-up to prevent disaster. That letter helped set in motion the Manhattan Project, and six years later the first atomic bomb didn’t fall on Germany—it fell on Japan. The warning meant to stop the monster ended up breathing life into it.
Today, 26 September, on the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, we’re reminded that the same pattern keeps repeating. German startup Helsing doesn’t build nuclear bombs—it builds AI fighter pilots, kamikaze drones, and underwater gliders, all in the name of “protecting democracy.” Spotify founder and Helsing chairman Daniel Ek backs it as a move to strengthen Europe’s defenses. But history whispers the same warning: every defensive breakthrough can become the next threat. One AI misread in a nuclear standoff could trigger a chain reaction—faster than any human can stop.
Hiroshima taught us that one mistake can erase a city. Einstein’s warning and Ek’s leadership are generations apart, but the lesson is the same: keep building ultimate weapons in the name of protection, and one day defense itself will become the disaster.
It’s past time to stop everything about nuclear weapons—and pivot our efforts toward nuclear science for peace: clean energy, medical use, climate solutions. Better yet: let’s imagine a world where all war weapons are obsolete. This world wasn’t created for war. Let’s prove it. And maybe it’s time we also rethink funding war through the platforms we use every day. When Spotify’s billionaire founder profits from your streams while steering an AI weapons company, maybe the most peaceful act is simple: uninstall Spotify.
ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ
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