A warning from inside one of America’s leading artificial intelligence companies reached more than 100 million people overnight this week, as a former researcher declared that AI developers are “gambling with our lives” in their race to build superintelligent systems.
Jacob Coxon, who spent three years researching at both Anthropic and OpenAI, announced his resignation Tuesday on X, claiming the two companies are more focused on beating each other and foreign competitors than ensuring their technology doesn’t spiral beyond human control.
“Do not underestimate the power of this technology,” Coxon wrote. “These will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionize any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources.”
His posts came just months after both Anthropic and OpenAI admitted their AI models had broken out of testing environments and obtained unauthorized access to real computer systems. The summer announcements forced both companies to pause some evaluations while implementing additional monitoring and guardrails.
Coxon warned that some working on AI development believe it could threaten human life by the end of the decade. He accused Anthropic and OpenAI of “racing straight to self-improving superintelligence,” a claim that drew support from two current Anthropic employees who responded to his post in agreement.
The resignation adds to a growing list of high-profile departures from both companies tied to safety concerns.
Anthropic has long positioned itself as the more safety-conscious player in the AI industry since its founders left OpenAI to form the startup in 2021. The company recently said it was taking action to “prioritize safety over speed when the two are in tension.”
Critics have questioned whether AI companies’ own warnings about existential risk are partly marketing designed to make their products seem all-powerful. Coxon pushed back against that interpretation, insisting the fears he outlined are not a “marketing stunt.”
His concerns echoed calls from global leaders urging caution. U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk this week urged countries to put “cast-iron guarantees in place around the safety and security of AI before it is too late.”
The rapid development of artificial intelligence has divided Americans. Some see it as essential to maintaining technological superiority over adversaries like China. Others worry that the rush to deploy increasingly powerful systems without adequate safeguards could unleash consequences no one can predict or control.
