Share and Follow
In a heated “New Rules” segment on Friday night’s episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, the host launched a scathing critique of artificial intelligence and the influential figures steering its development.
Maher didn’t hold back, cautioning that if those crafting AI are expressing concern, it might be prudent to press pause. He urged that if the architects of this technology are raising red flags, perhaps halting progress is wise until we fully comprehend its implications.
He began by spotlighting Anthropic’s latest model, Claude Mythos, emphasizing that a system designed to fix software issues could potentially know how to exploit them.
Maher’s primary worry extends beyond the technology itself to those controlling it. He took aim at tech moguls like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sam Altman, humorously suggesting that entrusting them with critical information feels risky.
“What’s unnerving about AI is the leadership behind it,” Maher remarked. “It’s essentially a handful of individuals, who collectively, might struggle to interpret a social cue correctly.”
He continued: “I wouldn’t let these guys around a mixed drink, let alone my personal data.”
As the segment ramped up, Maher leaned fully into his skepticism, declaring that “we’re letting a handful of hoodie wearing, on the spectrum sociopaths, practically robots themselves, roll the dice on species extinction.”
“You see an out of control robot and you run,” he added. “Mark Zuckerberg sees one and thinks, ‘Dad?’”
Maher also pointed out that some of the loudest warnings about AI have come from inside the house. He referenced past comments from Altman and Geoffrey Hinton — often dubbed the “Godfather of AI” — about the risks of the rapidly advancing technology.
“We’re f–king around with a 20% chance of extinction. 20% — wasn’t that about the odds for Trump beating Hillary [Clinton] in 2016?” Maher said, before quoting Musk: “‘I am very close to the cutting edge in AI,’ he said, ‘and it scares the hell out of me.’”
He added that Musk has warned reactive regulation could come “too late,” calling AI “a fundamental existential risk for human civilization.”
“AI programs are geniuses, but they’re also psychopaths,” Maher argued. “In war games, they choose the nuclear option far more than humans do. Because they can only calculate. They have no humanity, the have no conscience. They don’t have that thing that gives human beings pause.”
Maher isn’t the only Hollywood voice raising concerns. Both Scarlett Johansson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have spoken out about the risks tied to artificial intelligence.
Back in October, Gordon-Levitt called for a halt to AI super-intelligence development until stronger safety measures are in place.
“Why would you want to build an AI that’s smarter than humans?” he said in a video posted to X at the time. “You could say AI is going to cure diseases or AI is going to help strengthen our national security, and, yeah, I want those things, too. But why couldn’t we just build an AI tool to help cure diseases or build an AI tool to help with national security? Why does it have to all be one big product that does everything?”
Meanwhile, Johansson pushed for legislative action after a viral video used her likeness without consent earlier this year.
“I urge the U.S. government to make the passing of legislation limiting AI use a top priority,” she said. “It is a bipartisan issue that enormously affects the immediate future of humanity at large.”
Both actors were also among nearly 800 signatories backing the anti-AI campaign “Stealing Isn’t Innovation.”
New episodes of Real Time with Bill Maher air Fridays on HBO.