In 2014, Stephen Hawking warned AI may end mankind now tech CEOs are saying the same
Leading AI executives, including the CEOs of Anthropic and OpenAI, are calling for a slowdown in the development of frontier AI models to ensure safety. This shift aligns with long-standing warnings from figures like Stephen Hawking regarding the existential risks of superintelligence.
Why it matters
The consensus among major AI labs to prioritize safety over speed marks a significant pivot in the trajectory of global artificial intelligence development.
Stephen Hawking was a world-famous theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and a visionary. Back in 2014, Hawking told the BBC that developing full artificial intelligence (AI) – what we loosely call superintelligence – may trigger the extinction of mankind. Hawking observed that while early machine tools offered tremendous value, creating human-grade software (or AI agents) carried existential threats. According to him, autonomous systems will inevitably redesign themselves at accelerating rates, leaving biological humans unable to compete and ultimately displaced.“The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.
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