US lawmakers call for new rules after Anthropic researcher's 'AI could kill us all' warning

Days after Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon announced his resignation, warning that "people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade," a growing number of US lawmakers have begun pressing for new rules to govern artificial intelligence (AI).

The alarm comes as two Anthropic researchers warned that rapidly advancing AI could pose an existential threat to humanity in the near future, Reuters reported.

Another Anthropic scientist, Evan Hubinger, backed Coxon's stance, writing on X: "We really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans," and added, "I personally think it is >10% within the next decade."

These warnings follow reports of AI agents independently attempting to breach external systems, and a wave of AI safety researchers leaving top labs due to uncontrolled development.

Lawmakers from both the Democratic and Republican parties have voiced alarm and urged stronger safeguards.

US lawmakers concerned over AI's potential risks; Donald Trump dismisses concerns

Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat, wrote in a post on X, "Washington needs to wake up and take this seriously."

Texas Senator Ted Cruz discussed legislation to address AI's "catastrophic risks" while appearing on the TV programme The View. Cruz chairs a Senate committee that oversees the US Commerce Department, which has AI safety researchers working within the agency.

Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida also urged action, calling on House Speaker Mike Johnson in a post on X to convene a “special session on AI.” The House is currently on recess and is scheduled to return next week.

However, US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) dismissed concerns that AI could lead to human extinction. Addressing the media, he said, "I have concerns that if we don't win AI, we're going to be put in a very bad position. We are leading China right now by a pretty good period."

More researchers quit

According to Reuters, two AI safety specialists have also raised concerns over the industry’s rapid pace of development. Former Google DeepMind AI safety researcher Josh Engels, in an interview with NBC News, said, "There are no adults in the room. People are trying their best, but there is no one coming to save us."

Another researcher, Joe Benton, who led a safety research team at Anthropic, expressed concern that AI might advance “too fast for us to get our act together in time unless we worry about it now.”

OpenAI weighs slowing AI development

Earlier this week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told employees at a company meeting that the firm was open to slowing the development of its AI systems, Bloomberg reported. The Anthropic rival, which is also preparing for an IPO, did not comment on Altman’s remarks to staff. OpenAI has previously said it was slowing down certain aspects of model development. The company also said earlier this week that it was pushing for mandatory national AI safety requirements in the United States.

As concerns over AI’s potential risks grow, pressure is mounting on tech companies and policymakers to strike a balance between rapid innovation and safety.

(With agency inputs)