AI researcher who warned of 'disaster' is now a target of the right (www.washingtonpost.com)

AI researcher Jacob Coxon, previously with Anthropic, has resigned to express grave concerns about the risks associated with artificial intelligence, labeling the industry as “gambling with our lives.” His departure sparked significant political discourse, drawing attention from Congress, where calls for regulatory oversight of AI have intensified. Critics from the political right accused Coxon of staging a publicity stunt to exaggerate the industry's dangers, following his previously low-profile presence on social media. In response, Coxon affirmed the authenticity of his concerns, emphasizing a profound fear of an uncontrollable "intelligence explosion." Coxon, who has a background in training AI models, highlighted the urgent need for better controls over AI technologies, pointing out that current systems are powerful yet remain poorly understood. This incident has catalyzed bipartisan discussions in Congress, with some lawmakers, including Senator Bernie Sanders, advocating for briefings on the potential perils of AI. The situation underscores a growing recognition within the AI/ML community of the catastrophic risks posed by superintelligent systems, as echoed by other researchers at Anthropic who assert that the threat of AI could indeed lead to existential outcomes for humanity.