Anthropic’s Dario Amodei gets the SNL treatment

Saturday Night Live featured an impression of Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on Saturday Night Live, as cast member Jane Wickline donned an elaborate wig to portray the tech executive. Weekend Update host Michael Che struggled with Amodei's last name before launching into the segment. The fictional Amodei, played by Wickline, recounted stumbling through a press tour and allegedly agreeing with a former employee's claim that artificial intelligence could end civilization.

With her distinctive accent, Wickline-as-Amodei offered halting answers that occasionally turned into dark Gollum-like exchanges, confessing "AI is the devil and I its maker." She assured the audience that "AI executives are all on the same page here: We do not condone what we are doing." The impressionist also declared, "AI is not a weapon, it's a tool: A tool for building weapons," before urging listeners to pressure her to cease her work.

Despite potential benefits like cancer cure, the fictional Amodei admitted, "Put it this way: In 10 years, there's about a 10% chance that cancer won't be a problem for anyone."