Not all AI workers think the tech could kill everyone
In text exchanges and conversations, multiple people who have worked for leading companies are sceptical of the warnings.
Not all employees in the artificial intelligence sector believe that unchecked AI development poses an existential threat to humanity. Despite high-profile warnings and concerns raised by some industry figures, a significant portion of AI workers remain skeptical. Jacob Coxon, a former Anthropic employee, sparked a viral conversation by suggesting that a future AI tool could endanger people, although he did not provide detailed evidence to support this claim.
Other AI professionals, such as former OpenAI employees and researchers from DeepMind, expressed amusement at the exaggerated claims of AI-induced doom, often responding with light-hearted reactions like "Lol," "Haaaaaa," and "Bringing the luls." Industry insiders like Colin Fraser from Meta and Rishub Jain, who recently founded Sampura Research, noted that concerns about AI's potential risks are genuine but emphasize the importance of nuanced discussions about real-world threats.
Some experts argue that AI could lead to powerful "silicon species" rivaling humans, particularly in military applications, while others stress the need for more rigorous safety evaluations of AI models before they are deployed. Despite the jokes and mild skepticism, there is a growing consensus within AI circles that actual near-term harms need to be better understood, and that outside evaluators from AI safety research organizations should be involved in major AI labs to ensure safer development.
Written by urgent.news from BBC News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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