Are AI researchers really taking up smoking? It sounds strange, but Palantir’s Chief Technology Officer, Shyam Sankar, shared some surprising insights during a recent CBS interview. According to him, many in the AI field have picked up smoking as a way to show their faith in AI technology. He noted, “So many AI researchers have started smoking as a way of signaling to other researchers how much they believe in AI,” which prompted the interviewer to question the logic behind it.
Sankar elaborated, suggesting that it was a statement about belief in AI’s potential, saying something along the lines of, “I believe so much in AI that it’s going to cure cancer. So I’m showing you my chips are all in.” He even referred to this behavior as a kind of “mass psychosis” or “social delusion.” He argued that many in Silicon Valley have filled a kind of void—what he called a “God-shaped hole”—with their belief in AI.
This comes at a time of significant discussion surrounding the future implications of AI. Previously, an employee from Anthropic, another AI company, made dire comments warning that AI could pose existential risks to humanity, an assertion that sent shockwaves through the industry.
Jacob Coxon, who recently resigned from Anthropic, explicitly stated, “There is a substantial probability that this technology could kill everyone.” His declarations didn’t come off as mere exaggeration; he insisted that it wasn’t a marketing ploy, either.
In light of his warnings, several key figures in the AI sector have begun advocating for a slowdown in development. However, these concerns have been dismissed by the Trump administration, which labeled them as a “hoax.”
Notably, the administration’s stance seems to be influenced by proponents of “effective accelerationism,” a viewpoint maintaining that halting AI’s progress could be more harmful than beneficial, particularly when considering its potential positive impacts on healthcare. For instance, AI is being harnessed to aid in prescribing mental health treatments and potentially even in curing cancer.
Recently, Moderna and Merck announced significant progress in testing a melanoma vaccine, a development made possible through AI, which helped customize the vaccine for over a thousand patients based on their specific tumor data.
AI’s unique strength lies in its capacity to handle immense amounts of information—from years of research to case studies. Dr. David Fajgenbaum, who helped start the non-profit organization Every Cure, pointed out that AI can enable researchers to leverage global knowledge instead of just relying on individual expertise.
