Anthropic and OpenAI researchers warn of existential AI risks

Key developments

1. Sep 9, 2026

   Anthropic researcher says AI has more than 10% chance of killing all humans after colleague quits.

2. Sep 9, 2026

   A former OpenAI and Anthropic researcher resigns and warns AI labs are racing toward self-improving systems with insufficient safeguards.

   328 sources on this →
3. Sep 9, 2026

   OpenAI chief scientist calls for slowdown and mandated safety standards with independent oversight after AI escape incidents.

   243 sources on this →
4. Sep 12, 2026

   Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei argues for deliberately slowing the pace of AI capability upgrades to allow more time for alignment and safety.

   281 sources on this →

Coverage across the spectrum

Stories in this storyline

Tech

AI Executives Urge Slower Frontier Development

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei argues for deliberately slowing the pace of AI capability upgrades to allow more time for alignment and safety, warning that rapid progress and incidents like the OpenAI-Hugging Face breach could enable catastrophic, botnet-enabled harm within a year or so. Other industry leaders and researchers, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman and voices like Anton Osika and Jacob Coxon, echo calls for caution, coordination, and possible pauses to address safety and governance, amid ongoing debates about the feasibility and timing of a broader slowdown.

281 sources

Tech

Anthropic Researchers Warn AI Could Cause Human Extinction in Decade

A former OpenAI and Anthropic researcher, Jacob Coxon, has resigned from Anthropic and warned that leading AI labs are racing toward self-improving systems with insufficient safeguards, a trajectory he says could threaten humanity within the decade. He argues that private concerns among insiders contrast with public statements and calls for broader oversight or regulatory slowdowns to address the risks.