- Jacob Coxon, a former Anthropic researcher, posted on X accusing both OpenAI and Anthropic of racing to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with lives.
- Coxon's posts gained over 120 million views, prompting Elon Musk to comment 'Seems like a setup.'
- Musk and others, including Tim Sweeney and David Sacks, suggested the posts were choreographed or part of a PR operation.
- Coxon responded to Musk, saying 'I'm real and these are my real beliefs.'
- Anthropic's Alignment Science Lead Evan Hubinger supported Coxon, stating he and colleagues believe AI could kill all humans.
- Coxon had been at Anthropic for just four months, leaving two months before his stock options vested.
- Coxon previously worked at OpenAI and compared the two companies, stating that staffers at OpenAI have not deeply internalized the civilizational stakes.
- Hubinger noted that despite their understanding, Anthropic was locked in a race to get there first, believing no one else would act responsibly.
Jacob Coxon, a former researcher at Anthropic, has issued stark warnings about the potential for artificial intelligence to cause human extinction by the end of the decade. In a series of posts on X, he criticized both OpenAI and Anthropic for their reckless pursuit of self-improving superintelligence, stating they are "gambling with our lives."1467
Coxon's alarming claims have gained significant traction, with his posts amassing over 120 million views. However, tech mogul Elon Musk has dismissed these warnings as potentially orchestrated, suggesting they might be part of a "setup." Musk remarked that the view count for Coxon's posts is unprecedented for a new account with little prior activity, raising suspicions about the authenticity of the engagement.23
Musk's skepticism was echoed by Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, who described the reactions to Coxon's posts as appearing "choreographed." Musk further speculated that this could be a "psy op" against AI, although he provided no evidence to support this claim.
Critics have also emerged from within the tech community, including David Sacks, former advisor to President Trump, who suggested that Anthropic's IPO should be paused until Coxon's claims are investigated. Sacks accused Anthropic of engaging in a "sophisticated regulatory capture strategy based on fear-mongering."
Coxon, who left Anthropic after just four months, previously worked at OpenAI, where he still holds equity. His rapid departure has raised questions about his motivations and the validity of his warnings.
“Coxon's posts, which claimed AI could 'kill us all by the end of the decade,' drew over 120 million views, prompting Musk to question their authenticity. David Sacks called for pausing Anthropic's IPO until the 'whistleblower' claims are investigated, while Anthropic's Evan Hubinger backed Coxon, saying he believes there's a >10% chance AI kills all humans.”
Forbes
