A growing number of AI researchers and policy experts argue that instead of fixating on hypothetical existential risks, attention should turn to establishing conventional safety regulations for AI systems—similar to those governing airplanes, elevators and restaurants. They contend that near-term harms like bias, misinformation and misuse are already occurring and need practical oversight now.
At a closed-door gathering, a group of business executives reportedly described AI safety risks as genuine concerns rather than hype, and called on President Trump to pursue joint safeguards with China. The discussion reflects growing unease among corporate leaders about the pace of AI development outstripping regulatory and safety measures.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has proposed that the US and China cooperate to slow AI development given its safety risks, while also urging Washington to widen its technological lead through export controls and anti-distillation measures. Chinese officials and AI researchers have pushed back, arguing the proposal amounts to asking China to accept restrictions first while the US locks in an advantage, rather than a genuine offer of cooperation between equals.
Mark Zuckerberg publicly aligned himself with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's view that market incentives, not government regulation, should drive AI safety efforts, rather than Anthropic's Dario Amodei's call to deliberately slow AI capability development. Zuckerberg argued that alignment and trust are becoming key differentiators for AI agents and models, and cited Meta's own decision to delay releasing its Muse AI tools for safety reasons as evidence that liability concerns already push companies toward responsible development.
Marc Benioff called on AI companies to act responsibly as powerful models spread widely, comparing the moment to the harms caused by social media. He made the remarks during a CNBC interview at Salesforce's Dreamforce event, days after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay urging frontier labs to slow development for safety reasons.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang publicly criticized a proposal from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei calling for antitrust exemptions to let AI labs coordinate on slowing down model development for safety reasons. Speaking to CNBC's Jim Cramer, Huang said existing laws and regulations are sufficient and that companies should handle safety engineering internally rather than seeking new legal carve-outs.
Leading AI developers are now using their most advanced models to help design and accelerate the next generation of AI systems, according to researchers tracking the industry's progress. This shift is prompting fresh warnings that the pace of development could compound on itself, moving faster than safety and alignment work can keep up with.
A rare alignment has formed between rival AI executives Sam Altman, Dario Amodei and Elon Musk, who are voicing alarm over existential AI risks after an Anthropic researcher publicly quit citing safety fears and a colleague estimated AI could have over a 10% chance of causing human extinction. President Trump has dismissed these warnings as a hoax meant to slow data center buildout, a stance echoed by Nvidia's Jensen Huang and former crypto czar David Sacks.
OpenAI's CFO Sarah Friar told CNBC's Jim Cramer that while she isn't fearful of AI agents causing mass casualties, the company is prepared to slow its pace of development if researchers determine safety demands it. Her remarks arrive amid a surge of industry anxiety following a former Anthropic researcher's warning that AI could pose existential risks by decade's end, prompting figures like Dario Amodei, Elon Musk and Sam Altman to voice support for a broader slowdown.
OpenAI confirmed it has been in discussions with Google and Anthropic about collaborating on AI safety measures, following a July proposal from Google DeepMind chair Demis Hassabis for a U.S.-led self-regulatory 'Standards Body.' The talks gained momentum after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei urged AI firms to slow development of their most advanced models, a call publicly praised by Hassabis and OpenAI's Sam Altman.
Following a former Anthropic researcher's warning that unchecked AI could pose an existential threat by 2030, executives at major AI labs including OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI called for outside governance of frontier model development. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang dismissed the concerns as fabricated, Chinese officials labeled them fearmongering, and President Trump downplayed the need for a slowdown while suggesting China should restrain its own AI progress. The UK's King Charles has also scheduled talks with AI leaders to discuss safer development paths.
OpenAI policy chief Chris Lehane confirmed the company has spent weeks in discussions with Anthropic and Google DeepMind about managing catastrophic risks from advanced AI. The disclosure follows Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's public essay urging industry-wide cooperation to slow frontier AI development, which drew support from Sam Altman and Demis Hassabis. Lehane said the firms don't need a government waiver to coordinate, despite antitrust concerns raised by some executives.