Ex-OpenAI researcher warns AI could self-copy across the internet, sparking backlash
rohanpaul_ai · x · 2026-09-12
Jacob Coxon, a former Anthropic and OpenAI researcher, argues in a CBS News interview that you can't simply 'unplug' a dangerous AI because code can copy itself to other machines: "it could transfer itself over the internet... and maybe it makes 10,000 copies of itself and they're all cooperating."
The claim drew sharp pushback, with critics calling it sci-fi nonsense and accusing Coxon of fear-mongering to justify centralizing control over the most powerful AI tools. The exchange highlights the ongoing split over AI self-replication risk narratives between lab alumni and skeptics.
Related event: Ex-OpenAI researcher's "AI can self-replicate" warning sparks backlash(17 posts)→
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