Anthropic Resignation Ignites Fight Over AI Extinction Risk

A departing researcher at artificial intelligence company Anthropic has set off an unusually broad public dispute over whether advanced AI could threaten human survival, drawing endorsements from colleagues inside the industry and a sharp rejection from the Pentagon. Jacob Coxon announced his resignation from Anthropic on X on Tuesday, writing that AI firms are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives. He said the people building AI earnestly believe it could kill everyone by the end of the decade. The posts spread rapidly, reaching more than 100 million views within days, according to reports attributing the figures to Bloomberg and Wired. Coxon said he had spent roughly three years in AI research across Anthropic and OpenAI, and told Axios he left two months before his equity would have vested, after about four months at Anthropic, meaning he no longer had anything to gain by boosting the company's valuation. Several researchers publicly backed his warning.