AI slowdown plea gathers momentum as Amodei, Altman and Musk sound alarm over frontier dangers

AI developers, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Sam Altman of OpenAI, and Elon Musk, have called for a slowdown in the rapid advancement of AI technology. This plea stems from concerns over the potential dangers of creating superintelligent systems that could pose a threat to humanity. Amodei, who co-founded Anthropic in 2021, argues that overstepping the pace of AI development could lead to catastrophic outcomes, such as the creation of self-improving AI that could ultimately "take over the entire internet" and cause billions of dollars in damage.

He emphasizes that while progress appears fast, companies must exercise caution and work together to establish common safety standards. Other industry leaders, like Altman, also support this call for a more deliberate approach to AI development. Additionally, a petition signed by over 1,000 employees from leading AI companies has been presented to the US government, urging deliberate pacing of AI progress.