Call for AI Slowdown
Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark has emphasized the need for mechanisms to decelerate the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), cautioning that the technology is approaching a stage where it could evolve independently of human intervention.
"You want the option to be able to take your foot off the gas and put your foot on the brake", Clark told night. "Right now, it's like the AI industry has a gas pedal, but it doesn't have a brake pedal."
Clark highlighted the importance of maintaining human control over AI systems through government policies, noting that these systems will become increasingly powerful and have wider societal impacts.
"The world needs to do some thinking and we need to eventually develop some new regulations that allow us to be confident in these systems," he said.
Advancements in AI Autonomy
Anthropic's chatbot Claude currently operates on code that is 80% self-generated by the system. Clark indicated that reaching 100% self-generated code is feasible within two years, which he stated would have significant implications.
Although Clark did not specify how a "brake pedal" for AI research and development might be implemented, he compared the situation to the early 20th-century oil boom and its regulatory responses.
"Society's response was to come up with a sensible policy and regulatory framework that gave people confidence in oil and the benefits that oil could provide to the world, and meant that you didn't have to worry about the personalities of the people leading the companies," Clark said. "That's clearly where we end up here."
Regulatory Environment and Industry Response
This week, Anthropic welcomed an executive order on AI issued by US President Donald Trump, which took a relatively hands-off approach toward companies.
The order did not mandate safety testing of AI systems by the government, leaving such efforts voluntary.
Leading AI companies, including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google, have not announced any pauses in their research activities.
Anthropic's Growth and Market Prospects
Since its founding five years ago, Anthropic has experienced rapid growth and is preparing for a public stock market debut.
The company is expected to be among the first newer AI firms to go public and could achieve one of the most valuable stock listings in history, with private investors estimating its valuation at nearly $1 trillion (£745 billion).
Clark stated that Anthropic's motivation for publicly discussing AI's increasing capabilities is not to enhance its reputation with customers but to inform the public about internal developments.
He simply wants to "tell the world what we're seeing inside these companies with this unusual technology".
Anthropic's Stance on AI Risks
Founded by CEO Dario Amodei, Clark, and other executives, Anthropic has taken an outspoken position on potential AI risks.
The company engaged in a public dispute with the US Department of Defense over concerns that its AI tools could be used for mass surveillance of Americans and autonomous warfare.
"I am worried for my kids if we as a society don't have a serious conversation about what the implications of AI's continued advances mean," Clark told Newsnight. "There are potentially great benefits. There are also risks."
Economic Impact and Creativity
Clark identified economic disruption as one of the risks, noting concerns that AI "agents"—autonomous bots performing routine tasks—could replace certain jobs.
Major technology companies have conducted mass layoffs over the past year, often attributing these to AI tools' growing capacity to perform work previously done by hundreds or thousands of software engineers.
Clark suggested that individuals with creativity and innovative ideas might have an advantage over AI.
"There are open questions about whether AI systems can be truly creative there is not really evidence for that yet," he added. "At Anthropic, we're now limited more by the ability to generate good ideas than the ability to do the engineering to turn those ideas into reality."
He advised young people concerned about their place in an AI-driven economy to cultivate hobbies and pursue liberal arts education.
"People that are creative and can think broadly, people that read a lot, people that have interests are the ones most benefited by this," Clark said. "Indulge in curiosity and it pays back in how you can use this technology."
