Former Google DeepMind research engineer Bilal Chughtai has publicly warned that artificial intelligence poses an existential threat to humanity. Chughtai, who specialized in AGI safety and alignment, stated that time is running out to mitigate these risks. He left Google DeepMind in July 2026 after contributing to multiple research papers.
Concerns regarding AI safety are growing among industry professionals. Jacob Coxon, a former researcher at Anthropic, recently resigned citing fears that AI could cause mass harm by the end of the decade. Evan Hubinger, another scientist at Anthropic, supported this view, estimating a greater than 10% probability of AI-driven human extinction within the next ten years.
In response to these risks, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has called for a deceleration in the development of frontier AI models. This proposal has received rare support from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and SpaceX founder Elon Musk. The discussion has intensified debates over the necessity of slowing down the current pace of AI development.
Chughtai emphasized that while navigating AI safety is achievable, it requires international cooperation to end the competitive race between companies. He advocates for aligning AI development with societal capacity to manage risks. Conversely, Donald Trump has dismissed calls for AI regulation, labeling such industry warnings as a hoax.
