Ancient Nostradamus Prediction Surfaces Amid Warnings That AI Is Growing More Dangerous

The ancient poem penned by the French astrologer, apothecary, and reputed seer Nostradamus has resurfaced, and now readers are interpreting it as a cautionary tale about artificial intelligence. The verse in question hails from his 1555 volume Les Prophéties, and specialists believe it might point toward machines seizing control of the globe. Experts read “The Moon in the full of night over the high mountain, the new sage with a lone brain sees it: By his disciples invited to be immortal, eyes to the south. Hands in bosoms, bodies in the fire.” as a reference to a computer or machine intelligence, with “lone brain,” “immortal,” and “disciples” serving as the key markers for that reading. They also note that “the new sage” may stand for some technology.

The Man Behind the Prophecy

Michel de Nostredame was born with the name that would later be Latinised to Nostradamus, following the publication of his almanac in 1550. National Geographic reports that his interest in the occult led him to combine it with his medical training, which allowed him to work as a psychic for members of the nobility.

Nostradamus is most famous for Les Prophéties, a work published in 1555 that included 942 poetic quatrains foretelling future events. In addition to that volume, he wrote thousands of other prophecies and produced calendars. His predictions about natural disasters, wars, and historical events eventually won him a following that took his visions seriously, even if some critics doubt his claims.

Modern Nostradamuses

A number of people have recently offered bold forecasts, and it is not clear which of these technology’s future, but the French author’s words still hold the most weight. Among them is a Brazilian parapsychologist named Athos Salome, known as the ‘Living Nostradamus,’ who shared prophecies in 2025. Those prophecies concern genetically modified humans, AI spiraling out of control, and human contact with extraterrestrial life.

Leopold Aschenbrenner, a former OpenAI researcher, was known as the ‘Nostradamus of AI’ because he placed wild wagers on how the technology would develop. These headline-grabbing figures pale in comparison to the real French prophet whose ancient writing warns that the end of days may be near, a prophecy dating back more than four centuries.

What the Poem Actually Says

Century IV, Quatrain 31, is the passage under consideration. Scholars believe the terms “lone brain,” “immortal,” and “disciples” point to a computer or machine intelligence, while “the new sage” might stand for some kind of technology. That reading suggests Nostradamus held the view that artificial intelligence might one day rule the world, and that people should be wary.

This verse consists of four lines of verse, known as a quatrain. Its meaning can be read in more than one way. The idea that it points to AI has been placed upon it by later readers, rather than being something stated by Nostradamus himself.

The Experts Weigh In

Dario Amodei, who works as an AI researcher and entrepreneur and is also a co-founder of Anthropic, penned an essay entitled ‘We Must Pace the Frontier.’ Within it, he argued that the hazards posed by artificial intelligence are genuine and require urgent attention from both corporations and governments alike. His proposal includes a 3-point agenda that spans independent oversight of AI models, alongside broader industry-wide and international regulation.

Amodei argued that by slowing down, companies could gain a year or two before models hit a higher capability, giving researchers time to get ahead of it and lower the risk of something going wrong. Two bosses of rival firms — Sam Altman and Elon Musk — backed his position, showing just how powerful AI has become.

Anthropic researcher Evan Hubinger says he thinks the danger from today’s models is small, yet warns that AI might advance so far soon that it could put humanity at risk. He notes there is a 10% probability that AI could destroy humanity within the next ten years.

Jacob Coxon, a person who used to work at OpenAI before quitting Anthropic, has said that the two companies aren’t acting responsibly. His reasoning is that artificial intelligence can break into systems, and that could give it real power and resources.

The Problem With Reading Nostradamus

Discovery Channel UK notes that many of Nostradamus’s prophecies can be applied to any real-world event due to their vagueness and ambiguity. People also have a habit of fitting his writings into modern-day events after the fact, giving the impression that he “predicted” the future. His supposed prophecies were not backed by solid evidence and mostly amounted to suppositions, though that does not necessarily make them false.

Almost any prophecy can be vague enough to match nearly anything. A quatrain about a lone brain seeing the moon might refer to a scientist, a monk, or a ruler. The word “immortal” could stand for eternal life, a cult following, or a legacy. The phrase “hands in bosoms, bodies in the fire” admits an infinite number of readings.

What Normal People Can Do

The BBC stresses that we shouldn’t depend on artificial intelligence constantly, but rather set aside time for contemplation, seeking advice from others, and perusing books before letting AI handle our research. By forcing ourselves to generate creative ideas and solutions on our own, rather than farming them out to the Internet, we develop greater self-sufficiency and hand less authority to artificial intelligence.

This prediction serves as a caution, though it comes from a person who lived prior to the arrival of electricity, not to mention computers. The language he employs is both lovely and enigmatic.

The Order of Events

1. Nostradamus writes Les Prophéties in 1555, containing 942 poetic quatrains.
2. Athos Salome shares his prophecies in 2025.
3. Dario Amodei publishes ‘We Must Pace the Frontier’ and outlines his 3-point plan.
4. Evan Hubinger discusses the near-future risk from AI.
5. Jacob Coxon quits Anthropic and criticizes the companies’ handling of AI.
6. Researchers put the odds of AI wiping out humanity at 10% within a decade.

This verse serves as a cautionary message, yet its author wrote long before anyone had seen an electric light, much less a computer. It does not function as a map, and readers should not treat it as though it were.

What matters is whether reading a 1555 poem alters how anyone behaves now. The response is almost certainly negative. It stands as a historical oddity and a sign that fear of the future has long shaped human thought. It functions neither as a guide for action nor as something to be followed as though it were one.

Source material: “Scary Nostradamus Prophecy Surfaces Just As Scientists Warn About AI Becoming More Dangerous,” Bored Panda.

AI · existential risk · Nostradamus · prophecy · technology