AI labs brush off ‘gambling with our lives’ warning, push ahead with IPOs

San Francisco, September 18 — Anthropic is poised to launch a highly anticipated IPO this year, ahead of OpenAI, despite recent warnings of potential doom. Concerns about the safety of advanced AI models have spiked this month, following an Anthropic employee's resignation warning that the industry is "gambling with our lives". Jacob Coxon, who recently left Anthropic, warned of a small probability that AI could cause humanity's extinction.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has called for slowing AI development, but did not mention this in relation to the IPO. Both companies are planning significant IPOs, with Anthropic potentially valuing its stock at US$2 trillion, while OpenAI's valuation could reach $1.2 trillion before its IPO. Investors remain wary, with venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya suggesting that investors may demand a large discount if they believe there are significant dangers.

Analyst Brad Gerstner downplayed these concerns, arguing that the IPO process provides needed transparency for investors. Despite the concerns, the stakes are high, as major tech companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Nvidia have significant stakes in AI labs, and the success of these IPOs will have broader implications for the US economy.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has stated that the company will delay its IPO until 2027, citing safety concerns, but OpenAI is still in talks for a new round of funding with a valuation of at least $1.2 trillion.