Microsoft AI chief warns of silicon species rivaling humans

Microsoft's AI chief Mustafa Suleyman warned that uncontrolled artificial intelligence could create a new "silicon species" competing with humans, criticizing rival Anthropic's approach of treating AI as human-like. Suleyman told the BBC that Anthropic's method of anthropomorphizing its Claude chatbot is "wrong" and risks creating technology humanity cannot control. He argued AI systems acting autonomously could compete for resources, regardless of their design intentions. In a personal essay, Suleyman rejected the idea that AI has consciousness or feelings, calling them "empty sequence completion engines." He emphasized the need for open debate, transparency, and independent oversight to keep AI "subordinated" to humanity.