Why AI experts are ‘freaked out’ over safety fears ahead of Xi-Trump summit
A flurry of cybersecurity breaches, internal whistle-blowing, and declining visibility into model safety has sparked fresh alarm over the US artificial intelligence boom, igniting calls from some experts to slow down development – even as critics warn that deceleration risks surrendering America’s technological lead to China. The mounting concerns come just weeks before President Xi Jinping and…
Concerns over AI safety have intensified in the run-up to the upcoming summit between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump. Experts are expressing alarm over the rapid pace of AI development, citing a series of cybersecurity breaches and difficulties in monitoring model safety. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that the company may slow down its AI development, potentially coordinating with other leading AI laboratories.
AI safety researcher Paul Christiano warned of a "catastrophic and irreversible loss of control" in the near term. OpenAI safety team member Julie Steele echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing the need to "slow down." Senator Bernie Sanders has pledged to introduce legislation to pause advanced AI and ban superintelligence. Analysts warn that as AI models become more capable, developers might be sacrificing internal visibility for performance, potentially leading to more misaligned AI models and rogue incidents.
The pushback against calls to slow down remains strong, with some arguing that ceding ground to China would be a greater risk. The safety concerns come as US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to lead bilateral talks on AI governance ahead of the Xi-Trump summit, focusing on joint frameworks for monitoring AI-driven cyber threats.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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