Civilizational Competence

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{
  "numericId": "E664",
  "title": "Civilizational Competence",
  "description": "Root factor measuring humanity's collective ability to navigate AI transition through governance, epistemics, and adaptability.",
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---
numericId: E664
title: Civilizational Competence
description: Root factor measuring humanity's collective ability to navigate AI transition through governance, epistemics, and adaptability.
sidebar:
  label: Overview
  order: 0
lastEdited: "2026-01-06"
subcategory: factors-civilizational-competence
---
import {DataInfoBox, FactorSubItemsList, PageCauseEffectGraph, EntityLink} from '@components/wiki';

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Civilizational Competence refers to humanity's collective ability to navigate the AI transition successfully. This encompasses governance capacity, <EntityLink id="E121">epistemic health</EntityLink>, and societal adaptability.

## Key Dimensions

<FactorSubItemsList factorId="civ-competence" />

## Relationship to Scenarios

Civilizational Competence acts as a **protective factor** - higher competence decreases risk across multiple scenarios:

- **AI Takeover**: Better governance and oversight reduces probability
- **Human-Caused Catastrophe**: Better coordination prevents misuse escalation
- **Long-term <EntityLink id="E189">Lock-in</EntityLink>**: Shapes whether lock-in is beneficial or harmful

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