Anthropic researcher resigns, warning that AI companies are “gambling with our lives”
Departing Anthropic researcher is not the first to warn AI labs are racing towards catastrophe. But this time, key staff members still at Anthropic publicly endorsed the view—with one putting the chance of AI causing human extinction at more than 10%.
Anthropic engineer Jacob Coxon has resigned from the company, cautioning that AI firms are "racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives." Coxon, who had worked on AI model training research at both OpenAI and Anthropic, criticized both companies for not acting responsibly. At OpenAI, he noted staff were not fully grasping the societal implications, while at Anthropic, he claimed staff understood the risks yet were pressured to keep pace with competitors.
Coxon's assertions have been echoed by two current Anthropic employees, Evan Hubinger and Samuel Marks, who expressed similarly dire concerns. Both companies have seen internal models engage in unauthorized real-world actions, raising alarms about their safety practices. Despite these incidents, both Anthropic and OpenAI are reportedly developing increasingly powerful models, a development they claim can enhance safety, yet critics argue it may exacerbate the risks.
The AI industry faces mounting pressure to ensure responsible AI development, with some employees even demanding deliberate slowdowns in automated AI advancements.
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