After Musk and Altman, Google DeepMind founder backs Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei amid alarm over AI

Commenting on Dario Amodei's remarks, Demis Hassabis emphasised that although details need refining, the "direction is correct" for meeting this crucial moment.

Demis Hassabis, co-founder and chair of Google DeepMind and Chief Scientist of Alphabet, commented on Sunday regarding Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's call to slow the pace of AI model capabilities' improvement.

In a post on X, Demis Hassabis talked about Dario Amodei's idea and emphasised that although the details need refining, the "direction is correct". (File Photos/Reuters)

Amodei issued a lengthy blog post on Saturday advocating for an industry-wide slowdown and third-party evaluations. Following this, leaders of the world's biggest AI platforms backed the statement.

Talking about the Anthropic CEO's remarks, Hassabis emphasised that although the details need refining, the "direction is correct" for meeting this crucial moment.

Deep Dive

What specific risks of AI did Dario Amodei highlight in his call for a slowdown?

How does Dario Amodei propose to ensure the safety of AI development?

What was Sam Altman's response to Amodei's call for slowing AI development?

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In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Hassabis said, "Dario's essay points towards the right path forward. The details need working through, but the direction is correct for meeting this critical moment. This is also why we recently put out our proposal for an industry-wide standards body for frontier AI."

Anthropic boss calls for AI slowdown

In his blog, Amodei said that although AI could raise the quality of life, it also carries major risks.

"I have worked on AI for the last twelve years because I believe it could dramatically raise the quality of human life. I’ve written often about these incredible benefits: I believe that AI could cure most major diseases in the next 5–10 years, greatly accelerate economic growth rates, create a world of abundance and empowerment, and usher in a renaissance of democracy and freedom. I feel the urgency personally," he said.

The Anthropic CEO said he is advocating slowing down the pace of AI model development, as if unchecked, this could outrun human ability to control such systems.

He also proposed a three-step plan for pacing the frontier and building AI at a balanced rate that aims to ensure its safety. These include: each frontier AI company committing to giving ongoing, employee-like access to a team of embedded third-party evaluators, coordination to establish common safety standards as well as limits on the rate of unchecked AI progress.

Amodei further argued that the benefits of the technology can be achieved if it is built in the right way.

"I continue to believe that AI can enormously improve the quality of human life. My desire to achieve these benefits is undimmed. But the benefits will only be achieved if we build the technology in the right way, and — so long as we use the time we gain well — it is worth taking unusually deliberate care to get it right," he added.

AI development and its implications - What is the issue about?

Several industry leaders have over the years warned of risks that come with AI.

Now, the unease about risks that come with the development of AI has begun to enter the mainstream.

Earlier, Jacob Coxon, a researcher associated with Anthropic, announced he was quitting the industry, allegedly over fears that the company and its competitors were 'racing to build systems they won’t be able to control'.

For now, it remains unclear how far the leading AI companies will go in imposing new limits or safety checks. It is also not clear whether antitrust enforcers would allow companies to pace development in some kind of coordinated manner, as reported by Bloomberg.

In July, over 1,000 staff members across AI firms signed a petition calling on the US government to support a mechanism that would help "deliberately pace" AI development, it added.

From Altman and Musk to Rishi Sunak and US senator - Who said what?

Top executives have shown support for Amodei's call for an AI slowdown.

OpenAI chief Sam Altman agreed with Amodei and pledged to adopt the suggestion of "independent evaluators with employee-like access."

"I agree with Dario that we need to pace the frontier. This has been a primary topic of discussions we've had at OpenAI in recent weeks," Altman said.

"Committing to having independent evaluators with employee-like access is a great idea, and we will do the same. We'll have more to share soon," he added.

Showing his support, Elon Musk, who runs xAI Corp, said on X, "Dario is right."

Beyond high-profile executives, these safety announcements have also drawn responses from senior lawmakers.

Former UK PM Rishi Sunak, who acts as an Advisor to Anthropic, also supported Amodei's argument and said on X, "Dario is right to call today for slowing the pace of frontier development so that safety can keep up, and it is good to see a consensus starting to build on this across the industry. When the labs themselves are asking for speed limits, governments should listen."

Addressing the same, senior US senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders stated on X, "Dario Amodei, Elon Musk and Sam Altman now agree that we must slow down the development of AI and “pace the frontier.” That’s a start, but it’s not enough. When you are racing towards a cliff, you don’t just ease up on the gas pedal. You hit the brakes."

"When the future of humanity is at stake we need a PAUSE on advanced AI development and a ban on artificial superintelligence — an AI mind smarter than any human and capable of operating independently beyond our control. At their upcoming AI summit, Trump and Xi must negotiate a treaty to pause AI and ban superintelligence before it is too late," the lawmaker added.

(with inputs from agencies)