A leading AI safety expert set off fresh concern last week with a stark prediction: artificial intelligence could pose an existential threat to humanity before the decade is out.
Jacob Coxon, who worked on training Anthropic’s newest AI systems in San Francisco, said the public should not dismiss the technology’s potential — especially if AI reaches a “superintelligent” stage.
The 27-year-old, formerly employed by ChatGPT maker OpenAI and later by Claude developer Anthropic, argued that both companies were falling short of responsible AI safety practices.
His warning has intensified an already heated discussion involving technology executives, researchers and global political leaders.
Those who share the concerns say AI presents major dangers, from potential attacks on nuclear facilities and disruption of political systems to the prospect of helping bad actors access weapons of mass destruction.
Sceptics have pushed back, insisting such catastrophic scenarios are unlikely to materialise. Some also contend that demands to slow AI development may be driven less by safety than by commercial self-interest.
Here is how several prominent figures in the AI debate have responded.
While explaining his departure from Anthropic in a series of posts on X, Mr Coxon said people should not underestimate AI’s capabilities, particularly if it develops into a superintelligent system.
Tech bosses
Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei has also acknowledged that advanced AI carries “serious risks.”
In a blog post, he said the concerns range from humans losing control over AI systems to the misuse of the technology for cyberattacks or bioterrorism, as well as severe economic upheaval. Amodei said progress in AI model capabilities must be slowed.
This morning Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, also weighed in on the debate, conceding there are two ways AI ‘could go very badly and that we must avoid’.
‘First, we could lose control of the future to AI,’ he wrote on X. ‘This is unacceptable; we are unapologetically on Team Humanity, and AI must always serve people.
‘To ensure that, we need ways to ensure that alignment and safety techniques stay ahead of progress in model capabilities.
‘Second, we could end up in a world with too much concentration of power. If an extraordinarily powerful AI is used by one person or company to impress their worldview onto everyone else, the results could be extremely dystopian.’
Elon Musk, owner of xAI, has also backed the warnings, adding he has ‘been sounding the alarm on AI for a long time’.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, also weighed in on the debate, conceding there are two ways AI ‘could go very badly and that we must avoid’
A researcher at Anthropic has quit over concerns that big tech firms are in an ‘out of control’ race to build systems that could wipe out humanity
Scientists
According to experts, a list of AI ‘worst-case scenarios’ ranges from creating political chaos with misinformation to irrevocably changing the planet’s environment.
Scientists also suggest that AI’s fatal blow could come from the technology’s capacity to build and harness weapons of mass destruction.
Professor Mark Lee, an artificial intelligence expert from the University of Birmingham, told the Daily Mail that once we create AI more intelligent than ourselves, we might struggle to ensure its goals remain ‘aligned’ with our own.
‘The issue is that while the big AI companies are all rushing to develop AIs which are as smart or even smarter than humans, we don’t have reliable means to control their behaviour,’ he explained.
‘AI exists as software, so any system which is connected via the internet could be vulnerable.
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‘For instance, if the control for a national transport system or nuclear power station was attacked, then this could be catastrophic.’
Ben Eisenpress, Director of Operations at the Future of Life Institute, previously told the Daily Mail that integrating AI into nuclear command and control systems could lead to a ‘flash war’. Experts have also repeatedly warned that AI tools make it significantly easier to develop deadly bioweapons.
In Ukraine, autonomous and semi-autonomous weapons are becoming more common (pictured), and experts are worried that this could lead to an uncontrolled escalation of conflict
Researchers have discovered that AI models could have safety restrictions removed to give advice on biological attacks. Pictured: A sample response with information redacted
Developers
Geoffrey Hinton, a Canadian researcher often referred to as the ‘Godfather of AI’ – has similarly warned that super-intelligent systems could ‘lead to human extinction’.
‘We would be very foolish to develop superintelligence now, when there is no scientific consensus it can be developed safely and controllably,’ Dr Hinton said.
‘Losing control over AI smarter than ourselves could be catastrophic and could even lead to human extinction.’
In his resignation post on X, researcher Jacob Coxon wrote: ‘Do not underestimate the power of this technology.
‘These will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionize any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources.
‘We have all witnessed the progress in each of these domains, and progress is not slowing.
‘The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade. This is not a marketing stunt.’
Politicians
Despite the concerns, US President Donald Trump has downplayed the risks posed by AI.
‘You have a lot of very negative forces that are bringing it up that shouldn’t be bringing it up and they’re bringing up things that won’t happen,’ he said during a visit to Ireland.
‘We’re leading China on AI… and, frankly, I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI, wins.’
Meanwhile, MPs and peers have urged Andy Burnham to back a ban on the creation of artificial intelligence and lead an international movement to stop the technology.
According to ControlAI, more than 135 cross-party UK parliamentarians already support the campaign.
‘Nobel Prize winners, AI scientists, and CEOs of leading AI companies have stated that mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority,’ ControlAI explains in the campaign statement.
‘Specialised AIs – such as those advancing science and medicine – boost growth, innovation, and public services. Superintelligent AI systems would compromise national and global security. The UK can secure the benefits and mitigate the risks of AI by delivering on its promise to introduce binding regulation on the most powerful AI systems.’
Despite the concerns, US President Donald Trump has downplayed the risks posed by AI, saying ‘negative forces’ are ‘bringing up things that won’t happen’
Critics
Calls to slow the AI race may not be entirely altruistic, some critics say, questioning whether there could also be commercial motives behind the push for restraint.
After pouring billions into developing ever-more powerful AI systems, companies could benefit from slowing down rivals and making it harder for new competitors to catch up.
‘Stop pretending the motivation to slow down is purely altruistic,’ David Sacks, Trump’s former AI tsar and a frequent critic, wrote on X.