A Google DeepMind staffer who recently resigned has warned that humanity is running out of time to prevent AI from causing widespread harm. Bilal Chughtai, an artificial intelligence researcher, expressed his concerns on X and LinkedIn, stating that he is “extremely concerned by the default trajectory of this technology.”
Chughtai worked on AI safety and alignment during his time at Google, which is the main AI research body of Alphabet. He believes that AI has the potential to “kill us all,” and his comments are the latest in a series of concerns voiced by AI researchers in recent days.
Jacob Coxon, a former AI developer at Anthropic and OpenAI, quit his job earlier in September and accused his former employers of putting lives at risk by racing toward super-intelligent AI. Coxon’s comments went viral, attracting over 150 million views and attention from prominent lawmakers and public figures.
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Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published a 3,800-word essay over the weekend, urging the AI community to slow the development of advanced systems to prevent them from slipping beyond human control and inflicting catastrophic harm. Amodei’s essay was endorsed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and SpaceXAI chief Elon Musk.
Chughtai remains hopeful that it is still possible to use AI without causing harm. He will focus on AI safety in his next role, and his LinkedIn profile states that he is now working for BlueDot Impact, a non-profit that trains people in different fields on AI safety.