Earlier this month, artificial intelligence researcher Jacob Coxon resigned from Anthropic after four months, stating that those developing AI "earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade."
Evan Hubinger, a senior member of Anthropic's staff, reportedly agreed with Coxon, adding that he personally believes there is more than a 10% chance of this occurring in the next decade.
Discussions have since emerged regarding slowing down AI research and increasing human control over the technology. Potential scenarios for AI-related human extinction include the creation and release of dangerous bioweapons, AI involvement in nuclear command and control leading to nuclear war, or AI precipitating societal breakdown through job losses, misinformation, and fractured relationships.
Researchers at Stanford University last month reportedly used a genetic language AI model to synthesise 16 new viruses, sending genetic sequences to a mail-order lab which then returned the viruses in test tubes. The experiment reportedly cost a few hundred thousand dollars.