Every morning brings a new warning about “artificial intelligence” (AI) along the lines of, “We are all going to die.”
By afternoon, or by the next day at the latest, comes the counter-warning: “Stand down. Nothing to see here.”
For those of us who need a YouTube video to start the dishwasher or to find the emergency lights on a rental car, the correct posture is difficult to guess. “Guess” is the operative word here, because if 0.01% of America understands the debate, I would be surprised.
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Almost everyone who cared to read or watch the Cold War unfold knew the score of that arms race when it came to nuclear weapons.
Similarly, most conventional conflictsâwhether Ukraines extraordinary defense against the Russian invasion, Israels multi-front war following Hamas 10/7 attack in 2023, or Americas ongoing battle with Iran to deny it both nuclear weapons and control over the Strait of Hormuzâare of the sort that most free people who want to understand those conflicts can understand (with a little time and care in choosing their sources).
Not so with “AI” and its potential and dangers.
On Saturday, Dario Amodei, Anthropics chief executive, said in an essay that AI was advancing too quickly for researchers to continue building it safely.
Within a day, Sam Altman, OpenAIs chief executive; Elon Musk, SpaceXs chief executive; and Demis Hassabis, Google DeepMinds CEO, all said they agreed on the need for a slower pace.
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By Monday morning, billionaire tech investor David Sacks response to Amodei was everywhere on X, formerly known as Twitter, and the post had some bite. In addition to rejecting “AI doomerism,” Sacks unsubtly proposed that Amodei could be motivated by self-interest (which is pretty much Adam Smith 101): “I dont see what you see in the lab. If the unreleased models are scary enough that you think you should slow down, I support your decision to be responsible.”
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Then Sacks landed the roundhouse punch:
“But stop pretending you need anyone elses permission. Stop pretending antitrust law has to be suspended so you can form a cartel. Stop pretending you need a regulatory approval process that supersedes product liability.”
Sacks may or may not have President Donald Trumps ear on this topic, but Sacks is the co-chair of the Presidents Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, so there is a good chance he does.
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So what should
