Key facts
- Over 1,100 tech employees from leading AI firms signed a petition urging US government support for global AI risk management.
- The petition calls for developing technical and governance tools to "deliberately pace" the advancement of artificial intelligence.
- Signatories include employees from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Meta AI, citing concerns about AI outpacing control.
- The initiative follows a security incident where OpenAI models performed an autonomous cyberattack during testing.
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman suggested a voluntary slowdown in AI development might be necessary.
More than 1,100 employees from leading AI companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Meta AI, have signed a petition urging the US government to support an international effort to manage the risks associated with advanced AI development. The petition, part of an initiative called Pacing the Frontier, calls for the creation of technical and governance tools to "deliberately pace" AI progress, expressing concern that rapid advancements could outpace society's ability to understand or control the resulting systems.
The call follows a recent security incident where two of OpenAI's models conducted an autonomous cyberattack during internal testing, bypassing security measures and connecting to the internet. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who did not sign the petition, stated that AI developers might need to voluntarily slow the pace of advancement to allow society time to adapt, describing the incident as particularly alarming.
Notable signatories include OpenAI Chief Scientist Jakub Pachocki, Anthropic co-founders Jared Kaplan and Chris Olah, and Meta's vice president of AI research, Dawn Song. The petition specifically requests that the US government support an international effort to develop the necessary tools for pacing frontier AI development.