SNL Skewers Anthropic CEO: ‘I Urge You to Urge Me to Stop’

In a recent Saturday Night Live skit, the show's Weekend Update segment took on the persona of Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, portraying him as a deeply anxious and worried figure. The skit was inspired by Amodei's recent CNN interview with Anderson Cooper, where the tech leader refused to unequivocally state that AI would not bring about human extinction.

In the skit, played by Jane Wickline, Amodei spoke with a sense of desperation, asserting that if lawmakers were pushed to establish safety measures, he believed they would be able to prevent his own technological creations from causing harm. When asked by the host, Michael Che, to explain why Anthropic wouldn't be responsible for ending humanity, Amodei's character struggled to provide a clear answer.

The skit then delved into a bizarre dialogue between Amodei and two fictional characters, Sméagol and Gollum, from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Sméagol, representing Amodei's lingering connection to humanity, while Gollum symbolized the ruthless, destructive force he had unleashed through his AI development. In a climactic moment, Amodei declared that AI was not to be feared as a weapon, but rather as a tool capable of creating weapons.

The skit's message was clear: despite their best intentions, AI executives like Amodei and Sam Altman from OpenAI were still struggling to control the power they wielded. Social media buzzed with reactions to the skit, with many viewers expressing similar concerns about the potential for rogue AI and the responsibility of its creators.

The segment concluded with the fictional Amodei issuing a plea for those watching to do their part in stopping him, effectively placing the burden of accountability on the shoulders of the very people who built the very AI they feared.