AI safety researcher Krueger: labs are building bigger and bigger portals to hell
DavidSKrueger · x · 2026-09-15
AI safety researcher David Krueger shares the interview question that surprises him most lately: "Is the genie already out of the bottle?"
His key points:
- The metaphor misunderstands the technology. AI is always changing; its worst consequences—mass unemployment, extinction—will likely not materialize until more powerful AI arrives, and that could happen very quickly.
- A better analogy: AI companies are building bigger and bigger portals to hell. Opened portals are basically impossible to close. Imps have come through so far, but the companies keep building because they want to summon demons.
- We can probably coexist with the imps. With the demons? He worries the answer is no—but the demons aren't out yet.
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