WSJ: Anthropic researcher quits AI industry over fears of uncontrollable AGI race
peterwildeford · x · 2026-09-09
Per WSJ, Anthropic researcher Coxon is leaving the AI industry because he doesn't want to participate in the rush to build self-improving AI systems.
- He warns that under the most aggressive scenarios, "by the end of next year things could be out of control already," with safety trade-offs made inevitable by competition and Chinese upstarts.
- He joined Anthropic from OpenAI earlier this year for its safety reputation, but now believes no company can responsibly develop AGI absent government intervention or a coordinated slowdown.
- Quote: "It's kind of insane that it has to happen on the MacBooks of some engineers living in San Francisco instead of a bunker in the desert like where they were doing the Manhattan Project."
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