Anthropic boss Dario Amodei calls for AI development to slow down

Leading AI company Anthropic's CEO Dario Amodei has called for a slowdown in the development of artificial intelligence models. In an essay, Amodei emphasized the serious risks associated with AI while acknowledging that developing AI is not in question itself. He proposed a three-point plan, including independent monitoring of AI models, industry-wide regulation and global regulation.

Growing concerns about AI's potential risks, such as a greater than 10% chance of killing all humans within the next decade, have prompted calls for action. Two Anthropic safety team employees resigned recently, warning of potential human extinction if the race among AI companies to develop smarter-than-human machines is not stopped.

Anthropic previously reported disruptions in attempts to use its AI model for malicious activities that could support biological weapons development. Amodei urged for a balanced rate of AI development that prioritizes safety while still achieving benefits. He committed Anthropic to this unilaterally and called on governments to require other frontier companies to match, recognizing that regulation might not keep up with AI's pace.

He stressed that a slowdown would have to be coordinated, without sacrificing commercial advantage or the US lead in AI, and urged the US government to prevent AI chip sales to China or technology sharing with authoritarian countries.