Cathie Wood Calls AI Extinction Warnings Ridiculous at a Sydney Briefing
Cathie Wood, founder and CEO of ARK Invest, welcomed the slowdown pledge from Dario Amodei, Sam Altman, and Elon Musk while rejecting the case behind it. Her funds hold positions in all four companies those three men run.
September 15, 2026 - 8:29 am
Wood praised the AI industry for openly discussing its risks and dismissed the specific risk it has been highlighting, stating: "That’s ridiculous."
According to Reuters, during a briefing in Sydney, Wood was asked about researchers' claims that AI could potentially kill everyone. She responded by emphasizing the importance of acknowledging potential risks but dismissing the extreme scenario.
The pledge Wood referred to was made by Dario Amodei on September 12th, where he advocated for slowing down AI advancements. Sam Altman and Elon Musk subsequently expressed their support. Wood viewed this as positive for AI's development, considering her firm holds investments in Tesla, SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic (Amodei's company).
She emphasized that identifying risks is crucial, stating: "Half of the solution is understanding the problem." Wood suggested repurposing the extinction claim to focus global attention on AI cybersecurity.
Global AI stocks experienced a decline on Monday, with Asian markets struggling on Tuesday due to investor sentiment towards chip and AI equities. While several factors contributed to this movement, the pledge from industry leaders was among them.
We have previously analyzed market trends, comparing the current situation to the technology and telecoms bubble of the late 1990s. Wood agrees that acknowledging potential dangers can lead to better market handling of bad news when investors are prepared.