Tech leaders agree they need to slow down AI development
What's the story
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has agreed with Anthropic's Dario Amodei on the need to slow down artificial intelligence (AI) development. The agreement comes after Amodei published an essay, "We Must Pace the Frontier," arguing that AI progress is outpacing researchers' understanding and control. He proposed a three-part plan to mitigate this issue, emphasizing the importance of slowing down AI model capabilities while still making wise use of the time gained.
Safety measures
Altman supports Amodei's call
In response to Amodei's essay, Altman expressed his agreement on X, saying, "I agree with Dario that we need to pace the frontier."
He also supported the idea of having independent evaluators with employee-like access, promising that OpenAI would follow suit.
This comes after OpenAI had previously acknowledged slowing down development in certain areas of its models and advocated for mandatory nationwide AI safety standards in the US.
Twitter Post
Altman's post
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.
— Sam Altman (@sama) September 12, 2026
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. https://t.co/1YhhIybZX7
Industry response
Musk backs Amodei's warning, says he has been sounding alarm
Billionaire Elon Musk also backed Amodei's warning, saying Anthropic CEO is "right."
Separately, Musk re-shared his post from 2023 and wrote that he has been sounding the alarm on AI for a long time.
The calls from leading AI figures come amid growing concerns over the risks posed by increasingly powerful systems.
Earlier this week, Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon announced his resignation and warned that those building AI sincerely believe it could be deadly by decade's end.
Information
DeepMind founder also supports the direction
Google DeepMind co-founder and chair and Alphabet Chief Scientist Demis Hassabis commented Sunday on Amodei's call to slow the pace of AI model development While acknowledging that the details need to be refined, Hassabis said "direction is correct" as the industry faces this crucial moment.
Twitter Post
Check out Hassabis's response
Dario's essay points towards the right path forward. The details need working through, but the direction is correct for meeting this critical moment.
— Demis Hassabis (@demishassabis) September 12, 2026
This is also why we recently put out our proposal for an industry-wide standards body for frontier AI. https://t.co/Mm1hmcaSmH https://t.co/sESEDGELmj