Risky innovations like AI and gain-of-function research face flawed incentives promoting reckless risk-taking over restraint. The author highlights asymmetric risks: AI can be dangerous before being widely useful. Driven by ego, progress externalizes harm onto society, as innovators gain while others bear the cost. Individual wisdom is insufficient. Governments and markets are failing to address these dangers, prioritizing capability over safety and neglecting risk. The text critically analyzes this trajectory, arguing for a deliberate focus on reducing harm despite systemic challenges, urging a collective effort to avoid disaster.