OpenAI, Anthropic scientists ask U.S. for tools to pace AI development

More than 1,000 employees at America’s leading AI companies signed a statement asking the U.S. to help support efforts to “pace” cutting-edge AI development.

More than 1,000 employees at America’s leading AI companies, including senior staff members and some co-founders at OpenAI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind, signed a statement asking the U.S. government to help support international efforts to “deliberately pace” cutting-edge automated AI development.

Highlighting recent comments from the world’s most advanced AI companies that AI systems may soon be able to automate their own research and development, the statement calls on the U.S. government to help create technical and policy tools that could control automated AI progress in coordination with other companies and countries.

“To realize AI’s potential, industry, government, and society at large may need the option to buy time to address emerging risks, develop security measures, and strengthen oversight,” the statement says.

“We request that the U.S. government support an international effort to develop the technical and governance tools needed to deliberately pace the frontier of automated AI development,” it concludes.

The statement does not explicitly call for the government or AI companies to slow or pause AI development, as some AI advocates have proposed; instead, it asks political leaders to ensure that option is simply available as AI development continues.