OpenAI and Anthropic Shift Focus From Human-Level AI to Safety Risks
OpenAI and Anthropic are shifting focus from merely advancing AI capabilities to addressing safety risks as systems grow more independent, with both CEOs now urging slower development and stronger safeguards. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for the industry to slow frontier model improvements, warning that AI agents could potentially cause hundreds of billions in damage within months. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman agreed, endorsing independent evaluators and emphasizing risks of losing control or concentrating power. Both companies still pursue advanced AI, with Anthropic projecting systems capable of complex autonomous tasks by late 2026 or 2027. The debate now centers on managing independent AI behavior rather than just matching human intelligence.