Axios, whose reporting is increasingly defined by minuscule “scoops” about the artificial intelligence industry, reported last week on the latest red alert from Anthropic about an impending “intelligence explosion.” The AI lab’s research arm released an agenda for tackling the myriad risks and threats of this fearsome technology, including the likelihood that AI will effectively procreate—that is, build new models without any human involvement. “My prediction is by the end of 2028, it’s more likely than not that we have an AI system where you would be able to say to it: ‘Make a better version of yourself.’ And it just goes off and does that completely autonomously,” Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark told Axios.
The creator of Claude is known for issuing such omens; as Axios notes, Anthropic’s “identity is wrapped around warning the world about AI risk.” But it’s hardly alone. OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, also regularly sounds the alarm. At the same time, these companies are raising capital at historic levels to fund their work and enrich themselves. The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that OpenAI recently allowed current and former employees to sell up to $30 million worth of shares. More than 600 people jumped at the chance, and together they made $6.6 billion.
