code red

plural code reds

1. CanadaUScountableuncountablemedicineThe condition on the occurrence of a fire at the medical facility.
2. CanadaUScountableuncountableAn extrajudicial punishment.
3. countablefigurativelyuncountableA condition of immediate urgency.

   Although ChatGPT still has plenty of room for improvement, its release led Google’s management to declare a “code red.” For Google, this was akin to pulling the fire alarm.

   2022 December 21, Nico Grant, Cade Metz, “A New Chat Bot Is a ‘Code Red’ for Google’s Search Business”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 21 Dec 2022

   2 more examples

   Last week, some of the world’s leading climate change scientists confirmed that humans are making irreversible changes to our planet and extreme weather will only become more severe. This news is a “code red for humanity,” said the United Nations secretary general.

   2021 August 19, Greta Thunberg, Adriana Calderón, Farzana Faruk Jhumu, Eric Njuguna, quoting António Guterres, “This Is the World Being Left to Us by Adults”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 20 Aug 2021

   Chief executive Sam Altman reportedly declared a “code red” on Monday, urging staff to improve its flagship product ChatGPT, an indicator that the startup’s once-unassailable lead is eroding as competitors like Google and Anthropic close in.

   2025 December 2, Robert Hart, “OpenAI declares ‘code red’ as Google catches up in AI race”, in The Verge