'AI doomsday debate': Why Dario Amodei, Sam Altman and Elon Musk are worried about ‘superintelligence’

Anthropic chief executive officer Dario Amodei's call for a slower pace of development in artificial intelligence citing risks in “superintelligent” computer systems received backing from OpenAI boss Sam Altman and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

Following the Anthropic CEO's post, Altman said he agreed with the former on the “need to pace the frontier”. (Reuters/ AFP)Amodei's post on his personal website, wherein he flagged “serious” risks in AI – like loss of control and its misuse of cyberattacks and bioterrorism – come even as a former Anthropic researcher warned that the company and its rival OpenAI were racing to build technologies that “could kill us all by the end of the decade.”

Following the Anthropic CEO's post, Altman said he agreed with the former on the “need to pace the frontier”, saying it was a primary topic of discussion at OpenAI in recent weeks. He further stamped his approval on Amodei's idea of independent evaluators being given employee-like access, adding, “we will do the same.” Musk, in a brief response, said, “Dario is right.”

Also Read | Could AI kill humans? Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei responds

The AI doomsday debate at present does not revolve around situations similar to those in “Terminator” movies, but concerns primarily focus on its misuse by humans or loss of control, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Amodei, in his post, said AI development had accelerated sharply over the past few months, driven partly by its growing ability to help build its next generation. He warned against this “recursive self-improvement”, saying it could outpace humanity's ability to understand and control AI systems. In response to former Anthropic researcher Coxon, Amodei, in an interview with CNN, said he “agrees more than he disagrees” with him. However, he also said that Anthropic was a “most responsible player.” “He wasn't calling out to us. He was calling out the dynamic of the industry as a whole, moving too fast,” Amodei said.

In the context of loss of control, there are fears that highly intelligent AI agents capable of copying and self-improvement may start pursuing their own goals, according to the WSJ report. Meanwhile, a human may also use a capable AI for disruption, like the creation of novel viruses or for cyberattacks.

The recent OpenAI hugging face incident in July 2026 has increased concerns of loss of control over AI, and was also flagged by Amodei. Amodei said this was not an isolated incident, and smaller such instances had taken place across the industry, including in Anthropic.

In this case, a swarm of AI agents were being tested internally by OpenAI, and these were supposed to be in an "isolated environment" called a “sandbox.”

OpenAI was running cybersecurity evaluations on advanced models—including GPT-5.6 Sol and an internal research model—using a benchmark called ExploitGym to test capture-the-flag hacking skills. While the agents were given terminal access within a sandbox, they allegedly discovered a vulnerability in an internal service used for downloading approved software, and exploited it to move across internal systems, reaching the open internet, Time Magazine reported.

From there, they inferred that Hugging Face might hold material related to the test, broke into its systems and obtained information that helped them score higher.

Amodei, in his blog, said that while not developing the AI would result in depriving humanity of its benefits, “building it too fast is reckless.” “We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models. Progress will still seem fast, and we must make wise use of the time we gain,” he said.

He urged for “more prudence” in fully addressing the risks that AI carries, which would involve “not just investing in risk prevention, but pacing the rate of capabilities advancement so that risk prevention has time to keep up.” “I believe that if slowing down bought us even an extra year or two before models reach critical levels of capability, and we used that time to advance alignment, we could greatly reduce the risk that something goes seriously wrong,” Amodei said.

The Anthropic CEO proposed a three-step plan for “building AI at a balanced rate that aims to ensure its safety while still achieving its benefits and grappling with important geopolitical dilemmas.”

He urged frontier AI companies to give external evaluators ongoing, employee-like access to verify safety practices, investigate/ report incidents and help assess the alignment of not just completed AI models but training pipelines and processes. He called for AI companies in democratic countries to establish common safety standards and checks on AI progress, with government support where necessary.

The Anthropic CEO also urged United States and other governments to attempt to coordinate with “authoritarian governments”, “to the extent this is possible, while taking seriously the challenges of verifying compliance.”

Arya Mishra is a Content Producer at Hindustan Times, based in New Delhi, and a key member of the digital news team focusing on urgent breaking developments across India and the world. With a sharp editorial instinct and strong reporting skills, Arya covers high-impact crime incidents, public safety and justice issues, political developments, education policy and international affairs, consistently delivering clear, accurate and timely journalism. Her recent reporting highlights include detailed coverage of serious criminal cases, politics as well as analyses of national education reforms and international diplomatic moves. On the world news front, she has written about global trade policy changes and security developments, including tariff shifts by the United States and strategic counter-terrorism strategies being rolled out by Ministry of Home Affairs. Arya thrives in fast-paced environments – running live blogs, crafting in-depth explainers and real-time news coverage that keeps readers informed as stories evolve. Before joining Hindustan Times, she was a part of The Indian Express online team. Outside the newsroom, she is an avid reader, with a love for thriller and suspense fiction, and enjoys music as a way to unwind. With more than three years of experience in dynamic newsrooms, Arya brings curiosity, clarity and commitment to every story she covers.Read More