In short
- US President Donald Trump said on Monday that fears about AI safety are a “hoax” and compared them to what he called the “Global Warming Scam”.
- Jack Clark, one of Anthropic’s seven co-founders, told the BBC that a mandatory “kill switch” for dangerous AI may need to be enforced by lawmakers.
- Warnings from AI executives and staff triggered a selloff in shares of some technology firms on Monday.
- Former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon and progressive Senator Bernie Sanders are due to speak at the “Pro-Human Assembly” in Washington on Tuesday.
- Anthropic scientist Evan Hubinger said the possibility of AI causing human extinction “within the next decade” was more than 10%.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that fears about AI safety are a “hoax” and rejected calls for greater safeguards, while Jack Clark, a co-founder of AI company Anthropic, told the BBC that a mandatory “kill switch” for dangerous AI may be needed.
What did Donald Trump say about artificial intelligence?
In social media posts on Monday, Trump compared warnings about AI to the “Global Warming Scam”, which he said was “being perpetrated by the Radical Left Dumocrats”. He called himself “the Hoax Buster” and likened the concerns to what he called “the RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA HOAX”. In one post he wrote: “There is a SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China. WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS!” Earlier on Monday, Trump posted that the only “guardrails” needed for AI was a “strong and smart” president. He has dismissed AI risk warnings before while citing the race with China.
What is the AI “kill switch” Jack Clark proposed?
Jack Clark, one of Anthropic’s seven co-founders, said a way of shutting off AI software completely if it gets too dangerous was something society “might want to eventually pass rules around”. He said “most labs have different ways of being able to pull the plug”, including Anthropic, but added that lawmakers may need to enforce having one.
How did companies and markets respond?
The concerns triggered a selloff in shares of some technology firms on Monday, as investors weighed the impact of a potential slowdown in AI development. Microsoft AI published an outline document on what it called “humanist AI”, and its chief executive Mustafa Suleyman told business news channel CNBC the guidance had been in preparation for months and was published now because of the current debate around the technology. Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei called for the pace of AI development to slow and be more closely monitored, adding that any action should be taken “without sacrificing commercial advantage”. Sam Altman of OpenAI and Elon Musk of xAI, the bosses of two rival AI firms, have said they agree with Amodei’s plan for industry-wide deceleration, regulation and independent monitoring of model development.
Who else is calling for a change of course on AI?
Former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon and progressive Senator Bernie Sanders are due to speak at the “Pro-Human Assembly” in Washington on Tuesday. According to its website, the gathering “aims to define a shared vision and articulate a better, more human-centric path for AI development”. Sanders told BBC’s Newsnight last week that “we have got to do something immediately to stop the uncontrolled growth of AI”, citing “the existential threat of the possibility of humanity being wiped out”.
Chinese state media said on Monday that experts had warned “Washington’s growing anxiety over China’s rapid AI development appears to be increasingly distorting its policy priorities”. Xin Qiang, a professor of American Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times that Washington knows China has become a strong AI competitor and worries that slower US development or tighter regulation could let China catch up faster.
The debate intensified after a post by Jacob Coxon, a researcher who left Anthropic over concerns AI could wipe out humanity, spread widely online. Anthropic scientist Evan Hubinger said he thought the possibility of AI causing human extinction “within the next decade” was more than 10%.
Frequently asked questions
What did Donald Trump say about AI safety?
In social media posts on Monday, Trump said fears about AI safety are a “hoax”, compared the warnings to what he called the “Global Warming Scam”, and said the only “guardrails” AI needed was a “strong and smart” president.
What did Anthropic’s Jack Clark say about a kill switch for AI?
Clark, one of Anthropic’s seven co-founders, told the BBC that a way of shutting off AI software completely if it gets too dangerous was something society might want to eventually pass rules around, and that lawmakers may need to enforce having one.
Who is speaking at the Pro-Human Assembly in Washington?
Former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon and progressive Senator Bernie Sanders are due to speak at the Pro-Human Assembly in Washington on Tuesday, an event its website says aims to set out a more human-centric path for AI development.
Which AI executives have called for slower development?
Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei called for AI development to slow and be more closely monitored, and Sam Altman of OpenAI and Elon Musk of xAI have said they agree with his proposal for industry-wide deceleration and regulation.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. Globe World — Jo%E3o%20Silas / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)