An Anthropic researcher’s public warning that advanced artificial intelligence poses a greater than 10% chance of wiping out humanity intensified Silicon Valley’s long-running debate over how fast to push the technology. Jacob Coxon, who resigned from Anthropic after stints there and at OpenAI, accused both companies of “gambling with our lives” as they advance toward potential IPOs. His remarks were echoed by Anthropic alignment lead Evan Hubinger, who put the near-term extinction risk above 10%, and followed OpenAI Chief Scientist Jakub Pachocki’s call for voluntary slowdowns until shared safety bars are set. The uproar arrives as lawmakers float competing proposals, including the bipartisan FRONTIER Act and a temporary pause under the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, underscoring the lack of regulatory consensus. Public backlash over power- and land-hungry AI data centers is adding political pressure. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent criticized AI companies for failing to sell the broader public on who benefits, warning that trust will be essential as the industry scales.
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