The Wall Street Journal reports that concerns are rising inside AI labs that competition is pushing tech companies to race toward self-improving models that could spiral out of human control.
Jacob Coxon, an AI researcher who has worked at Anthropic and OpenAI, said:
“The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.”
Evan Hubinger, Anthropic’s Alignment Science lead, who also worked at OpenAI, responded in a post on X:
“We really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans! I personally think it is >10% within the next decade.”
Hubinger added:
“What I am worried about is superintelligence arising from recursive self-improvement, as we have said is happening faster than we thought.”
That figure should be treated as Hubinger’s personal assessment. It is not a forecast, an established fact, or evidence that today’s chatbots are about to become dangerous on their own. Nor is it something I know enough about to endorse or dismiss.
Researchers are actively studying whether highly capable systems could act in unintended ways, exploit vulnerabilities, or be used to automate cyberattacks.
A BBC report notes that Hubinger described the risk from current models as low. His concerns focus on possible future systems with far greater autonomy and capability.
As companies and governments weigh the pace of AI development, we need sensible safeguards, including independent testing, limits on high-risk autonomous uses, transparency from developers, and accountability when AI systems cause harm.
Those measures should also address the problems we already face as cybercriminals use AI for fraud, privacy abuse, and other cybercrimes. Like many powerful technologies, AI can be used as a weapon, particularly when safeguards lag behind its capabilities.
Extreme predictions can be emotionally compelling, especially when made by people closely involved in the technology. But uncertainty cuts both ways: Serious warnings deserve scrutiny, not unquestioning belief.
The practical message is neither “ignore AI safety” nor “prepare for a robot apocalypse.” Companies, governments, and researchers need to work together to ensure that safety measures keep pace with rapid development.
Cooperation can complement competition, and in this case, it could be crucial.
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