Artificial Intelligence (AI) is often regarded as the technology of the future. But as is the case with most things, AI has pros and cons. And despite there being uses that can be beneficial to society, there are also parts that can make it equally as dangerous. And one former AI researcher is warning people of the risks of the technology.
Former OpenAI and Anthropic researcher Jason Coxon, who goes by @hilbertspaess on social media, recently detailed his decision to leave the industry behind. In a post to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday (September 9), he warned potential consumers that neither OpenAI nor Anthropic is "acting responsibly" with the technology.
"I spent the last three years doing pretraining research at both OpenAI and Anthropic. Neither company is acting responsibly. They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives," he wrote
Coxon went on to send an even more daunting warning to potential consumers. About the risks of underestimating AI technology. He also predicts that down the line they systems could pose an even bigger threat to society.
"Do not underestimate the power of this technology," Coxon added. "These will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionize any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources. We have all witnessed the progress in each of these domains, and progress is not slowing."
He also says that many of the people who are building the technology are aware of the dangers of AI.
"The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade. This is not a marketing stunt," he added in another post. "If anything, many executives and senior researchers will couch their phrasing in the press to sound sensible - but I hear the same people express fear."
As for why developers continue to build the technology despite their awareness of the risks? According to Coxon, developers like OpenAI and Anthropic want to be the pioneers of the technology. And believe they will act more "responsibly" than others who could potentially have access to it.
Neither company has responded to Coxon's claims.
