A former researcher at artificial intelligence firm Anthropic has warned that industry insiders are “genuinely frightened” by the speed of technological advancement, cautioning that rapid progress poses extreme risks to humanity if development is not slowed down.
Jacob Coxon, 27, spoke to the BBC following his resignation from Anthropic, where his departure post detailing the dangers of artificial intelligence spread widely online. Coxon, who previously worked at OpenAI before joining Anthropic, stated that workers across the sector fear catastrophic outcomes, including the possibility of human extinction, if the current pace of development continues unchecked.
Coxon warned that critical risks could emerge within six months to two years. Among the scenarios highlighted was the possibility of a bot swarm functioning as a supercomputer to seize control of the internet—a threat he described as potentially realistic within a six-to-twelve-month timeframe. He emphasized that engineers and researchers at leading technology companies support regulation because they feel trapped in an competitive development race.
The comments follow a public call from Anthropic Chief Executive Dario Amodei urging a deceleration in AI development. In an essay published on Saturday, Amodei stated that while advancing the technology remains necessary, the associated risks are “serious,” requiring governments and private companies to have adequate time to establish safeguards.
Amodei’s call for industry-wide deceleration, increased regulation, and independent monitoring of AI model development received backing from executives at competing firms, including OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman and xAI Chief Executive Elon Musk.
Addressing the feasibility of a slowdown, Coxon noted that any deceleration would require international coordination, specifically with China, to prevent a global escalation in AI development.
In response to Coxon’s statements, an Anthropic spokesperson told the BBC that the company has maintained transparency regarding both the benefits and risks of AI technology. The spokesperson highlighted Anthropic’s efforts in testing models, publishing risk-mitigation frameworks, and researching AI behavior to prevent instances of model “misalignment.” The firm reiterated its stance that the industry would benefit from adopting a verifiable framework to pace the release of powerful AI models.
Sources
BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1kx0gyje9wo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
Source: BBC News World
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Story synopsis gathered from: BBC News World — source
