Overview
- Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published a public appeal to slow frontier AI development last weekend and received rapid engagement from other leading figures including Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and Demis Hassabis.
- Several current and former researchers have issued stark safety warnings, with some saying advanced systems could pose existential risks and that time to develop safeguards may be limited.
- Markets moved sharply after the safety debate intensified and OpenAI said it will not pursue a 2026 IPO, triggering heavy losses for AI‑exposed stocks and a steep drop in SoftBank shares.
- U.S. science adviser David Sack told companies to build safe products on their own timetables, President Trump dismissed the alarm as a 'scam', and Germany said pausing R&D is not feasible while urging international governance.
- Observers dispute motives and practicality: critics say a slowdown could protect incumbents and delay exits, defenders point to widespread model proliferation, and analysts warn chip and cloud spending plans could be re‑priced even if long‑term demand persists.