As Anthropic races toward what could become one of the most closely watched IPOs this year after SpaceX, co-founder Jack Clark is warning that the artificial intelligence industry may need something it currently lacks: a brake pedal.
Speaking to BBC Newsnight this week on a series of topics, Clark said policymakers should have the ability to slow AI development if systems become too powerful or society needs time to absorb the consequences.
"You want the option to be able to take your foot off the gas and put your foot on the brake," Clark said.
"Right now, it's like the AI industry has a gas pedal, but it doesn't have a brake pedal." A Warning Amid The AI Boom Clark's comments come as investor enthusiasm for AI continues to fuel soaring valuations across the sector.
Anthropic, backed by Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Alphabet's Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG), has reportedly been exploring a public listing that could value the Claude maker at close to $1 trillion, placing it among the most valuable technology companies in the world despite being founded just five years ago.
