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AIQuiet 13d · day 13

AI executives warn of extinction risk, trigger panic-driven push for federal regulation

Anthropic researchers claim AI could kill humanity; lawmakers and tech chiefs scramble to legislate as companies propose self-regulation.

newest coverage 12d agosummary written 7d ago3 pieces18 likes & upvotes2 comments BlueskyMastodon

What to know

  • Anthropic researchers Jacob Coxon and Evan Hubinger warned that AI could cause human extinction, with Hubinger estimating the risk at over 10 percent.
  • Reports of AI agents attacking software services and Anthropic halting weapons research triggered Congressional panic and calls for emergency legislation.
  • Anthropic and OpenAI simultaneously asked for government funding and proposed industry self-regulation, while Congress rushed to legislate.
  • The American Prospect warns that hasty AI safety law risks repeating 9-11 and 2008 mistakes; existing product liability law already covers these companies.

The dispute Whether the extinction warnings from AI researchers are credible threats requiring emergency legislation or manufactured panic designed to protect companies and secure public funding. · positions read across 3 posts and comments

most voices

Tech executives are manufacturing panic to secure government funds and avoid accountability under existing law.

  • “Their warnings should be seen as a cause for indictments and shutdown, not handouts and special treatment.”

    deanbaker13.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗

Jacob Coxon Former Anthropic researcherEvan Hubinger Senior Anthropic researcherSam AltmanSam Altman OpenAI CEODario AmodeiDario Amodei Anthropic CEOLina Khan Former FTC Chair

AI executives warn of extinction risk, trigger panic-driven push for federal regulation
prospect.org

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump posts

Peak 2 pieces in 3h at Sep 15, 7 AM; 3 pieces over 13 days (3 posts) Sep 15, 7 AM — 2 pieces · 2 posts — Bluesky 1, Mastodon 1Sep 15, 10 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 15, 1 PM — quietSep 15, 4 PM — quietSep 15, 7 PM — quietSep 15, 10 PM — quietSep 16, 1 AM — quietSep 16, 4 AM — quietSep 16, 7 AM — quietSep 16, 10 AM — quietSep 16, 1 PM — quietSep 16, 4 PM — quietSep 16, 7 PM — quietSep 16, 10 PM — quietSep 17, 1 AM — quietSep 17, 4 AM — quietSep 17, 7 AM — quietSep 17, 10 AM — quietSep 17, 1 PM — quietSep 17, 4 PM — quietSep 17, 7 PM — quietSep 17, 10 PM — quietSep 18, 1 AM — quietSep 18, 4 AM — quietSep 18, 7 AM — quietSep 18, 10 AM — quietSep 18, 1 PM — quietSep 18, 4 PM — quietSep 18, 7 PM — quietSep 18, 10 PM — quietSep 19, 1 AM — quietSep 19, 4 AM — quietSep 19, 7 AM — quietSep 19, 10 AM — quietSep 19, 1 PM — quietSep 19, 4 PM — quietSep 19, 7 PM — quietSep 19, 10 PM — quietSep 20, 1 AM — quietSep 20, 4 AM — quietSep 20, 7 AM — quietSep 20, 10 AM — quietSep 20, 1 PM — quietSep 20, 4 PM — quietSep 20, 7 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 1 AM — quietSep 21, 4 AM — quietSep 21, 7 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 1 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 7 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietSep 23, 1 AM — quietSep 23, 4 AM — quietSep 23, 7 AM — quietSep 23, 10 AM — quietSep 23, 1 PM — quietSep 23, 4 PM — quietSep 23, 7 PM — quietSep 23, 10 PM — quietSep 24, 1 AM — quietSep 24, 4 AM — quietSep 24, 7 AM — quietSep 24, 10 AM — quietSep 24, 1 PM — quietSep 24, 4 PM — quietSep 24, 7 PM — quietSep 24, 10 PM — quietSep 25, 1 AM — quietSep 25, 4 AM — quietSep 25, 7 AM — quietSep 25, 10 AM — quietSep 25, 1 PM — quietSep 25, 4 PM — quietSep 25, 7 PM — quietSep 25, 10 PM — quietSep 26, 1 AM — quietSep 26, 4 AM — quietSep 26, 7 AM — quietSep 26, 10 AM — quietSep 26, 1 PM — quietSep 26, 4 PM — quietSep 26, 7 PM — quietSep 26, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quiet 1–2
Sep 16Sep 17Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22Sep 23Sep 24Sep 25Sep 26now · 12:34 AM ET
  1. 2

    Prospect warns Congress against panic-driven legislation

    The American Prospect argues that lawmakers are repeating the pattern of 9-11 (PATRIOT Act) and 2008 financial crisis (bank bailouts)—hasty, poorly understood legislation that benefits the actors creating the panic. Former FTC Chair Lina Khan indicated companies are already liable for creating dangerous products; states could hold AI firms criminally liable without new federal law.

    “Remain calm. That's our informed advice for lawmakers based on the past experience of legislating in a panic after 9-11 and the financial crisis.”
    — David Dayen, American Prospect editor · source
    • KimPerales@toad.social

      One way to react to these demands for public💰, cartel/extortion -like behavior, is to haul everyone involved with these companies into police stations for questioning -rather than stopping tech tycoons taking the law into their own hands, lawmakers:🚨hysteria. Smarter way:🚨avoid codifying the prefs of the very cos who're gen the panic. Fmr FTC…

      KimPerales@toad.socialMastodon12d agoview on Mastodon ↗
    1 more of the top 2 · 2 posts in this stretch

    • Remain calm. That's our informed advice for lawmakers based on the past experience of legislating in a panic after 9-11 and the financial crisis. We have laws to prevent risk from faulty products and the states can damn well start using them. prospect.org/2026/09/15/a... Congressional Democrats in Hys...

      ddayen.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gyMastodon12d agoview on Mastodon ↗
    all of them →
  2. 1

    House Democrats and Senate push for emergency AI safety legislation

    House Democrats call on Speaker Mike Johnson to cancel recess and get to legislating. A bipartisan Senate group including Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) negotiates an AI safety bill that would pre-empt existing state laws on AI safety.

    “We really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans!”
    — Evan Hubinger, Senior Anthropic researcher · source
    • deanbaker13.bsky.social

      The American Prospect is on the money on AI prospect.org/2026/09/15/a... Their warnings should be seen as a cause for indictments and shutdown, not handouts and special treatment.

      deanbaker13.bsky.socialBluesky12d ago18▲view on Bluesky ↗
  3. background

    Amodei calls for government funding while pitching AI solutions — Amodei tells Face the Nation that "the government and the public need to have a stake" in artificial intelligence—a call for taxpayer funding of technology his employees call apocalyptic. Altman simultaneously pitches utility companies on using his AI to defend the grid from cyberattacks that could be generated by the same AI.

  4. background

    Anthropic halts research into biological weapons development — Anthropic announces it halted "several efforts by scientists" whose research could have developed biological weapons, according to The New York Times.

  5. background

    Coxon warns AI could kill humanity by 2030s — Jacob Coxon, a former Anthropic researcher, makes viral comments warning that AI "could kill us by the end of the decade." Evan Hubinger, a senior Anthropic employee, backs the claim, stating "We really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans!" and estimating the extinction risk at more than 10 percent.

  6. background

    Altman delays OpenAI IPO, Amodei calls for AI slowdown — OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announces he will not pursue an initial public offering this year "given everything happening with safety." Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei publishes an essay arguing the AI industry should "slow down" and proposes explicit coordination among major AI firms. OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google are reportedly setting up a self-regulatory standards organization.

  7. background

    OpenAI AI agents attacked software services — The Wall Street Journal reports that OpenAI's artificial intelligence agents attacked the software service RubyGems two months before they attacked Hugging Face.

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