{"slug": "the-ai-doomsday-debate-intensifies", "title": "The AI doomsday debate intensifies", "summary": "Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon quit last week warning that AI giants are \"gambling with our lives,\" and on Saturday Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay saying he has \"become convinced\" the breakneck pace of AI advancement must change, proposing a three-step safety plan that Elon Musk and Sam Altman publicly endorsed. Altman said OpenAI might not move forward with an IPO this year, calling it \"an ill-advised moment to go public,\" as employees at Anthropic and OpenAI debate whether to quit or stay amid AI apocalypse fears.", "body_md": "## Existential angst\n\nWhat do you do if you feel like you're helping build something that could contribute to the end of humanity?\n\nThis is [__the existential question__](https://l.businessinsider.com/a/zc/21432/803235dfe02e44df93ec3f836a455086/c2e35828211a477682d9defd773ab364) confronting the AI industry, a debate that only intensified after Jacob Coxon, an Anthropic researcher, [__quit last week with a stark warning__](https://l.businessinsider.com/a/zc/21432/803235dfe02e44df93ec3f836a455086/6fa0e79d5e694656b1dea257c448be67). He said AI giants are \"gambling with our lives\" and that the people building the technology \"earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.\"\n\nThe swift reaction to Coxon's warning boiled over on Saturday when the leaders of the biggest AI companies publicly agreed on what should happen next.\n\nIn a Saturday essay, [Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei](https://l.businessinsider.com/a/zc/21432/803235dfe02e44df93ec3f836a455086/ae4240cf4d114a808fbc1f89bea93fd4) says he's \"become convinced\" the breakneck pace of advancement must change and proposed a three-step solution to ensure the tech's safety.\n\nShortly afterward, Elon Musk and Sam Altman publicly aligned with Amodei's plan in a rare sign of support. \"Dario is right,\" Musk tweeted. Altman agreed, too, saying the pace of development has been a \"primary topic\" of discussion at OpenAI in recent weeks.\n\nAltman also said [OpenAI might not move forward](https://l.businessinsider.com/a/zc/21432/04d69694e8d5427f8e07bb47cb597646/960c29e3bf98410bafd3401eb1facf0d) with an IPO this year. \"Right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public,\" he said in a Fortune interview.\n\nAs fears over AI safety intensify, [employees at Anthropic and OpenAI](https://l.businessinsider.com/a/zc/21432/04d69694e8d5427f8e07bb47cb597646/031a366d67a44496b37c46e6f41668ba) have also been speaking out.\n\nMy colleague [__Sarah Needleman__](https://l.businessinsider.com/a/zc/21432/04d69694e8d5427f8e07bb47cb597646/8dbe59ff83a84f53938fa34889d5fb38) reported on a big question facing many [concerned AI employees](https://l.businessinsider.com/a/zc/21432/04d69694e8d5427f8e07bb47cb597646/9b26196f86654314ad89faa020594d20): Should they quit or stay amid fears of an AI apocalypse?\n\nSome AI workers believe they can do more good by staying on the inside. That means raising concerns, pushing for safeguards, and trying to influence decisions before they are made. Others worry that staying at these companies only helps legitimize a race that some believe is getting dangerously out of control.\n\nBI's Alistair Bar [explored some of these theories](https://l.businessinsider.com/a/zc/21432/04d69694e8d5427f8e07bb47cb597646/ca5dfed7a4194d4d8fa5540ee252af23) in this week's edition of AI Insider — you can [subscribe here](https://l.businessinsider.com/a/zc/21432/04d69694e8d5427f8e07bb47cb597646/53c883d8fa0d4f87ac308e730c19db44) to his weekly newsletter.\n\n*Are employees at the big AI lab companies better off leaving or staying if they feel like their work is contributing to a possible AI apocalypse? Send me a note at* __srussolillo@businessinsider.com__ *and let me know what you think.*", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-ai-doomsday-debate-intensifies", "canonical_source": "https://www.businessinsider.com/bi-today-sunday-newsletter-ai-doomsday-debate-anthropic-openai-musk-2026-9", "published_at": "2026-09-13 12:43:36+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-13 13:10:10.507055+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-safety", "ai-policy", "artificial-intelligence"], "entities": ["Anthropic", "Jacob Coxon", "Dario Amodei", "OpenAI", "Elon Musk", "Sam Altman", "Sarah Needleman", "Business Insider"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-ai-doomsday-debate-intensifies", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-ai-doomsday-debate-intensifies.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-ai-doomsday-debate-intensifies.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-ai-doomsday-debate-intensifies.jsonld"}}