AI creators ask for slowdown; 1,100+ employees from OpenAI, Google and Meta warn of 'real risk'

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is progressing at a rapid speed across industries, and its effects have already started to show. With innovation, AI is also creating significant concerns around cybersecurity, misuse, and job displacement. For this reason, Employees from some of the world's biggest AI companies are asking the US government to support global efforts to slow the development of the most powerful AI systems.

According to a Bloomberg report, over 1100 employees from the biggest tech giants, including OpenAI, Google, and Meta, are urging governments to slow down AI growth and put stronger safety measures in place for the world's most advanced AI systems.

Must read: OpenAI's Sam Altman to meet White House officials after rogue AI scare

Future AI systems are the “Real risk”

Employees have signed a petition, which warns that AI is advancing so quickly that it could become more capable than humans can fully understand, monitor, or control. They are also urging the government to ensure its development is safer and more carefully managed, as it could outpace humanity's ability to monitor, regulate, or manage it safely.

The petition is signed by key tech executives, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Claude Code’s head Boris Cherny, OpenAI co-founders John Schulman and Wojiciech Zaremba, and Meta’s vice-president of AI research Dawn Song. Signatories also include companies like Google, Thinking Machines, Mistral, and Microsoft.

Must read: US-China AI race puts open models in spotlight; Anthropic CEO calls for AI rules instead of bans

Employees are also asking the US government to collaborate with other countries and build common technical standards for how advanced AI systems should be built, tested, and deployed. “We request that the US government support an international effort to develop the technical and governance tools needed to deliberately pace the frontier of automated AI development,” the letter mentions.

The employee petition comes at a time when the US government is debating restricting open-weight AI models. Major tech giants have signed an open letter urging the U.S. government not to impose broad or premature restrictions on open-weight AI models. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has also urged greater government regulation of AI.

Researchers say that the biggest problem in AI development is AI companies racing to build the most advanced AI models quickly before their rivals. As a result, there may not be enough time to test AI systems, identify potential risks, or put adequate security measures in place before releasing them.