'Inevitable': AI companies preparing for catastrophic event in 6-12 months

AI companies are preparing for a potential catastrophic AI incident in the next 6-12 months, which executives fear could trigger a massive public backlash and force governments to impose sweeping regulations, Axios reported.The executives are gaming out worst-case scenarios, including cyberattacks that could disrupt financial services, internet connectivity, electricity and water supplies. According to Axios, several industry insiders believe a major incident could occur within the next six to 12 months, potentially turning an already sceptical public against AI companies and their leaders, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei."OpenAI conducts preparedness exercises where teams discuss and work through a range of potential scenarios," an OpenAI spokesperson told Axios. "These scenarios are not treated as inevitable, but are meant to help us prepare for a variety of circumstances."