Ex-Anthropic researcher quits, warns AI could wipe out humanity by decade’s end

A researcher at AI safety company Anthropic has resigned, warning that the industry is rushing to build systems that could spiral out of control, according to a report by TMZ.

Jacob Coxon, who previously worked at OpenAI before joining Anthropic, told the Wall Street Journal he quit over fears that self-improving AI models could destroy civilisation, claiming colleagues now use terms like “crunchtime” and “endgame” to describe accelerated development timelines.

“We’re on track for a lot of the most aggressive of these scenarios where by the end of next year things could be out of control already,” Coxon said, accusing both companies of “not acting responsibly” amid competitive pressure.

He further alleged the industry is “racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives,” despite public warnings from AI executives urging caution.