Senator Bernie Moreno Accuses Anthropic’s Amodei of ‘Alarmist’ AI Talk
Republican senator Bernie Moreno has accused Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei of taking an "alarmist approach" to AI. This came in a letter sent on Monday, ahead of Anthropic's expected stock market listing, as reported by Axios.
"I do not understand how you can ask them to invest their hard-earned savings in Anthropic’s continued development while warning those same Americans that your product could ultimately lead to their extinction," Moreno wrote.
Moreno refers to AI as "super intelligence" (SI) throughout the letter, reflecting President Trump's order for US agencies to rename the technology. He cited Jacob Coxon, who quit Anthropic (read this guide) in September, stating AI companies were "gambling with our lives", and Evan Hubinger's claim that there's a 10% chance AI will kill all humans within the next decade.
The letter quotes Amodei acknowledging agreement with Coxon on many points. Moreno argues that Amodei's "panic-inducing commentary" fails to highlight how AI can defend against perceived threats. He further claims that focusing solely on worst-case scenarios could crowd out debate on national security and US technological leadership.
Moreno ends by encouraging a balanced approach, stating: "We must address the risks associated with frontier SI. Doing so does not require halting its development or surrendering American technological dominance."
This letter is the latest from an ally of President Trump targeting Amodei, according to Axios.