Anthropic Co-Founder Calls for Stronger Oversight of Big Tech’s AI Development

Chris Olah, speaking at a Vatican event focused on the ethical challenges posed by artificial intelligence, said there was “a real possibility” that AI systems could replace human labor on a massive scale, according to Reuters.

“If that happens, supporting those displaced will be a moral imperative of historic proportions,” Olah said.

Per Reuters, Olah said companies developing advanced AI systems face powerful commercial and geopolitical incentives that may conflict with the public interest.

“Every frontier AI lab … operates inside a set of incentives and constraints that can sometimes conflict with doing the right thing,” he said. He added that even researchers working with good intentions remain influenced by competitive pressures within the AI industry.

Olah argued that those risks make independent oversight essential as companies race to build increasingly powerful AI models.

The remarks come amid growing global scrutiny of major AI developers, including OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Meta, as governments and regulators debate how to manage the fast-moving technology sector.

Anthropic, a U.S.-based company known for its Claude AI models, was founded in 2021 by former OpenAI employees, including Olah. According to Reuters, the founders left OpenAI because they believed the company was moving too quickly with advanced AI development without enough emphasis on safety testing and safeguards.

Read more: OpenAI Offers EU Access to New Cyber Model as Anthropic Talks Continue

OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, was established by a group that included Sam Altman and Elon Musk. Since then, competition among AI companies has intensified as firms race to dominate the emerging generative AI market.

Anthropic has positioned itself as one of the more safety-focused players in the industry. Reuters reported that the company has pushed for restrictions on military uses of AI, including limitations on autonomous weapons targeting and domestic surveillance applications. Those positions have at times placed the company at odds with the administration of President Donald Trump.

Asked by Reuters why he was the only major tech industry representative invited to the event, Olah pointed to his years of work on AI safety and his engagement with religious and ethical groups on the implications of artificial intelligence.

“Ultimately, it’s the Vatican’s decision who they invite,” he said.

Olah also said public anxiety surrounding AI is understandable given the speed at which the technology is advancing.

“I think this is a scary moment. Things are moving fast. It’s a really powerful technology,” he told Reuters.

“There’s a risk that things could go badly, and it’s incumbent on all of us to push this in a good direction.”

According to Reuters, Olah identified several urgent concerns facing the AI sector, including large-scale job displacement, unequal access to the benefits of AI technology, and the difficulty of understanding how increasingly sophisticated AI systems make decisions.

“AI development is concentrated in a handful of wealthy nations. How can we ensure the gains of AI are shared globally?” Olah said.

Source: Reuters