Dario Amodei wants the AI industry to tap the brakes, but not slam them. The Anthropic CEO published an essay on September 12, 2026 titled “We Must Pace the Frontier,” laying out a three-step framework designed to keep AI development moving forward while making sure safety research doesn’t get left in the rearview mirror.
The proposal arrives at a moment when anxiety about AI’s trajectory has spread well beyond the usual circle of doomers and ethicists. In July 2026, more than 1,100 AI professionals signed an open letter calling for measures to moderate the pace of frontier development, arguing that capabilities are advancing faster than the guardrails meant to contain them. Amodei was among the signatories.
The three steps, unpacked
Amodei’s framework breaks down into three sequential components, each escalating in ambition and coordination difficulty.
Step one: Embedded Evaluators. This is the only piece Anthropic plans to implement unilaterally, and it’s starting immediately. These evaluators would assess and verify safe practices during both model training and deployment, creating a continuous feedback loop rather than a one-time audit.
