Why So Many AI Researchers Think the Machines Could Kill Everyone

As he worked on new models, he came to believe that he and everyone else on AI’s frontier were ceding control. By using AI’s coding skills to accelerate work on the next generation of models, he was removing himself from the equation. AI labs hope to evolve this approach to the point that AI will improve itself indefinitely, a process known as recursive self-improvement.

Jain believed that keeping humans in the picture might be crucial to maintaining control over the technology—and avoiding dire consequences. “AI progress is increasing,” he tells WIRED. “And as AI becomes more capable, it poses more risks.” The idea that he may not have proper visibility into how an AI model was building its successor made him so uneasy that, in June, he quit.

Jain is one of a growing number of AI researchers speaking out over those fears.