Concerns Over AI Regulation and Cartel-Like Behavior
Breitbart News editor-in-chief Alex Marlow expressed strong criticism towards Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, along with other leaders in the AI industry. He accused them of creating a cartel “right in front of your face” while pretending to act altruistically.
“I’m not going to say we’re doomed, but I also don’t know for certain we’re not. This technology, it’s powerful yet poorly understood,” Marlow explained during Pastor Allen Jackson’s recent Culture & Christianity Conference.
He pointed out that a significant amount of power is held by very few people and referenced a supposed whistleblower from Anthropic who has dominated the news lately. “I think it’s a hoax,” he stated firmly.
Marlow elaborated on the whistleblower, Jacob Coxon, a 27-year-old researcher who had links to both Anthropic and OpenAI. “This is an AI duopoly operating in a closed system,” he remarked, stressing the secrecy surrounding the technology.
The author of Breaking the News noted that the alleged whistleblower claimed on X that AI developers genuinely believe their technology could pose a lethal threat to humanity within a decade, and that this is not merely a marketing gimmick.
“The tweet garnered 200 million views,” Marlow said, noting the weight of the claim. He added that Coxon had already contacted major media outlets like the Wall Street Journal, which lent credibility to his assertions.
As anyone might expect, one would think Anthropic would respond by dismissing the claim as ridiculous. “That’s not what they did,” Marlow noted.
Marlow further discussed a colleague of Coxon, Evan Hubinger, who also supported the view that AI might indeed be dangerous, stating he believed there was over a 10% chance that AI could endanger human existence within the next decade. “That tweet’s been viewed more than 42 million times,” Marlow pointed out.
“If your BS detector is going off — and mine is, too — shortly after, Dario Amodei stated we need to pause AI advancements before it becomes too late,” Marlow continued, mentioning that Amodei was supported by Altman in this statement.
“Dario, Sam, if you’re watching — you can control this. You can slow down the pace of development,” Marlow suggested, emphasizing it’s entirely in their hands. “I run a newsroom. I can choose to publish fewer articles without needing a grand rationale for it,” he added humorously.
He criticized Amodei’s call for measures like independent monitoring and industry-wide standards as contradictory. “He’s calling for a regulator agency to manage his own company. It doesn’t really add up,” Marlow said, hinting at ulterior motives.
Marlow explained that Amodei proposed the formation of a group called METR, which is based in Berkeley, mentioning that one of its leading figures is Holden Karnofsky, who is married to Daniela Amodei, co-founder of Anthropic. “So, Dario is suggesting a regulatory body linked to his own family,” he quipped, drawing laughter from the audience.
Marlow concluded that the push for regulation by Amodei and others is driven by a desire for power and market control. “They’re not focused on saving humanity. They want to leverage AI for market capture, establishing bodies that could have significant control over our lives,” he stated.
According to Marlow, if regulations favor a few powerful entities, it would lead to stifling competition and establish a cartel, all while they pretend to act in the public’s interest.
