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AI CEOs Call for Development Slowdown Amid Cyberattack Fears
Confirmed
In Short: AI leaders are urging a slowdown in AI development to prevent potential catastrophic cyberattacks.
AI leaders, including OpenAI and Anthropic, are calling for a coordinated slowdown in the development of advanced AI systems to address safety concerns.
OpenAI's chief scientist, Jakub Pachocki, argued that slowing down AI development is crucial for ensuring the safety of self-improving AI systems.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei wrote an essay warning that rapidly advancing AI could soon outstrip human control, potentially leading to catastrophic cyberattacks that could cause hundreds of billions of dollars in damages.
Amodei's call for a slowdown has led to mixed reactions, with some lawmakers urging for urgent AI regulation while others, like President Donald Trump, dismissing the concerns as a 'hoax' and a 'sick conspiracy.
Trump's comments came after he was asked about calls to slow down AI development during a visit to Ireland.
Legal experts are also weighing in, with Nicholas Felstead, assistant director of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, arguing that a coordinated pause in AI development could violate US antitrust laws.
Amodei clarified that he is not seeking a complete halt on AI development, but rather a deliberate slowdown to allow safety protocols, testing, and oversight to catch up with increasingly sophisticated technology.
Amid these calls for regulation, AI stocks tumbled on Monday, as investors began to price in the potential impact of a slowdown on the industry's investments.
OpenAI has also suggested it will join the stock market, although CEO Sam Altman said over the weekend that the company would not go public in 2026 due to safety concerns.
Some AI executives, including those at SpaceX and Microsoft, have echoed the call for a slowdown, highlighting the need for caution in the rapid advancement of AI technology.
What this adds
The calls for a slowdown in AI development have sparked significant debate and concern among industry leaders and policymakers.
While some see the slowdown as necessary for safety, others view it as a potential threat to the competitiveness of the U.S. in the AI race.
What's confirmed
- AI leaders, including OpenAI and Anthropic, are calling for a coordinated slowdown in the development of advanced AI systems to address safety concerns.
- OpenAI's chief scientist, Jakub Pachocki, argued that slowing down AI development is crucial for ensuring the safety of self-improving AI systems.
- Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei wrote an essay warning that rapidly advancing AI could soon outstrip human control, potentially leading to catastrophic cyberattacks that could cause hundreds of billions of dollars in damages.
- Amodei's call for a slowdown has led to mixed reactions, with some lawmakers urging for urgent AI regulation while others, like President Donald Trump, dismissing the concerns as a 'hoax' and a 'sick conspiracy.
- Trump's comments came after he was asked about calls to slow down AI development during a visit to Ireland.
- Legal experts are also weighing in, with Nicholas Felstead, assistant director of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, arguing that a coordinated pause in AI development could violate US antitrust laws.
- Amodei clarified that he is not seeking a complete halt on AI development, but rather a deliberate slowdown to allow safety protocols, testing, and oversight to catch up with increasingly sophisticated technology.
- Amid these calls for regulation, AI stocks tumbled on Monday, as investors began to price in the potential impact of a slowdown on the industry's investments.
- OpenAI has also suggested it will join the stock market, although CEO Sam Altman said over the weekend that the company would not go public in 2026 due to safety concerns.
- Some AI executives, including those at SpaceX and Microsoft, have echoed the call for a slowdown, highlighting the need for caution in the rapid advancement of AI technology.
What's still developing
- OpenAI has asked members of Congress in recent weeks for clear guidance about whether orchestrating an industry-wide slowdown on frontier AI development would be legal, people close to the company tell WIRED.
- In the short term, he expects “ voluntary slowdowns to become commonplace until shared safety bars are established.” But some legal scholars say such an effort could conflict with US antitrust laws.
- President Donald Trump told reporters in Ireland on Sunday that "a lot of negative forces" are "bringing things up that won't happen" when asked about calls to slow down artificial intelligence development by industry leaders.
- "Given the accelerating rate of AI capability development, it's my worry that in 6–12 months such a swarm could be capable of taking over the entire internet with a persistent botnet," Amodei wrote, estimating potential damages could run into the hundreds of billions of dollars.
- Coxon wrote in a series of posts on X this week that he was resigning from Anthropic over concerns that AI companies are “racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives,” a stark warning about the implications of unchecked AI development on humanity.
- His concerns were echoed by Evan Hubinger, an Alignment Science lead at Anthropic, who said he believes there is a greater than 10 percent chance that AI could “kill all humans” within the next decade.
- BEIJING — China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday bristled at the Anthropic CEO's call for the U.S.
- You Vote: With Trump calling the concerns over AI a 'hoax,' what are your biggest concerns?
- Trump made the remarks after publicly rejecting a slowdown in AI expansion.
- "Concerning AI, when, in the History of Business, did anyone see the Leaders of an Industry call for Regulation that, if strongly implemented, will drive them into oblivion and bankruptcy?" Trump asked on Truth Social.
- Amodei went viral over the weekend for a viral Substack post explaining his concerns.
- Set us as preferred Artificial intelligence stocks tumbled on Monday after American leaders of the AI revolution called for a coordinated slowdown in building more powerful AI systems.