AI Leaders Call for Pacing Development Amid Safety Concerns

Leading figures in the artificial intelligence industry are publicly calling for a deliberate slowdown in the development of the most advanced AI systems, citing the risk that capabilities could outpace safety measures. The push for "pacing" the frontier of AI development has gained momentum in recent days, with executives from major companies and prominent researchers voicing concerns about existential risks. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay urging the industry to "pace the frontier," proposing that third-party evaluators be given permanent, employee-level access to AI systems to verify safety measures and monitor alignment during training. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly endorsed Amodei's proposal, stating that progress should continue but be deliberately slower when safety reviews require more time. Altman emphasized that pacing does not mean stopping development, but accepting necessary costs to ensure responsible advancement. The calls for caution follow a high-profile resignation.