Concerns about artificial intelligence spelling doom for the human race are being linked to a "cult-like" philanthropy movement known as "effective altruism" supported by billionaire Democratic megadonor and Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, according to a policy analyst. In response to former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon’s resignation announcement on X, Parker Thayer, an investigative researcher at Capital Research Center in Washington D.C., went viral as he raised questions about whether the resignation was part of a broader network that aims to influence lawmakers and AI policy. "I resigned from Anthropic today," Coxon’s post read.
"I spent the last three years doing pretraining research at both OpenAI and Anthropic. Neither company is acting responsibly. They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives." RESEARCHER WHO DEPARTED AI ROLE OVER FEARS OF RACING INTO EXTINCTION SAYS PEOPLE ARE 'BEGGING' FOR REGULATION Thayer quoted the post in a response that received interaction online with top lawmakers in Congress, including Sen.
Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. "This post looks like the start of a VERY sophisticated and well-funded PR operation to get support for Democrats to regulate AI into oblivion," Thayer posted. "The post is punchy, quotable, it almost seems professionally written.
The first three accounts to quote tweet it all do so within 15 minutes of the initial posting." Thayer echoed claims made by White House AI advisor David Sacks that AI fears are overblown and potentially based on political motives. "I think this is becoming a panic," Sacks told CBS News correspondent Jo Ling Kent. "We're in an election season, and there is an incentive for political actors to try and amplify the fear.
And I think this is a moment to really calm down a little bit and look at the issue rationally." SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: YES, WE MUST HIT THE PAUSE BUTTON ON AI BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE Coxon told Fox News’ Bret Baier last week that we are "on the doorstep of tremendous discoveries," but are running in too quickly. He emphasized the need for moderation.
Baier asked Coxon if the issue could be figured out. I think if we actually try instead of submitting to the inevitability of a doomed race or a hubristic gamble, then we can solve it," he said. "The problem is not unsolvable." TOP MEDIA OUTLETS FAIL TO DISCLOSE WHO IS BANKROLLING THEIR AI REPORTERS Coxon said he was acting alone when deciding to voice his concerns about the direction of AI, according to The Wall Street Journal.
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