- Over 1,000 employees at cutting-edge artificial intelligence companies, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, signed a petition on Tuesday (Jul 28) calling on the United States government to help slow down the release of the most advanced AI models.
- The petition, titled 'Pacing the Frontier', requests that the US government support an international effort to develop the technical and governance tools needed to deliberately pace the frontier of automated AI development.
- Leaders from major AI firms, including OpenAI and Anthropic, express concerns over rapid AI advancements, stating there is a real risk that capability development could accelerate beyond our ability to understand or control the resulting systems.
- Rival AI lab Anthropic has also supported the idea of an intentional AI development slowdown, indicating a consensus among leading AI companies on the need for caution.
- Earlier this year, the US government invoked national security concerns to block the release of powerful new models created by Anthropic and OpenAI, both of which voluntarily complied with the orders until they were reversed.
Over 1,000 employees from leading AI firms, including Anthropic's CEO Dario Amodei, have signed a petition urging the U.S. government to slow AI development. The petition, titled "Pacing the Frontier", emphasizes the need for governance tools to manage the rapid advancement of AI technology.1
The signees, which include top staff from major companies like OpenAI and Google, expressed concerns that "there is a real risk that capability development rapidly accelerates beyond our ability to understand or control the resulting systems". They advocate for a deliberate pace in AI development to allow society to adapt to new capabilities.
OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman echoed these sentiments, stating, "We may have to pace the rate of AI development to give ourselves enough time for society to harden around some of these new capability levels". Anthropic also expressed support for slowing AI development, highlighting the need for societal preparation.
The call for caution comes as AI models become increasingly powerful, with experts like Vyas Sekar from Carnegie Mellon University warning that AI agents are becoming "extremely persistent" in task completion. Industry leaders, including Google DeepMind's Demis Hassabis and SpaceX's Elon Musk, have also endorsed the need for protocols to manage new AI models.
“The petition, titled 'Pacing the Frontier', emphasizes the need for governance tools to manage AI advancements, as leaders warn of risks associated with rapid capability development. OpenAI and Anthropic have expressed support for this initiative, highlighting the urgency for society to adapt to new AI capabilities.”
