Are big AI companies gambling with our lives? Download Embed < iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5963496/nx-s1-mx-5963496-1" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> In this illustration, the Claude AI app is seen in the app store on a phone on February 16, 2026 in New York City. Michael M.
Santiago/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images The warning in former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon’s resignation announcement is stark. “The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade,” he writes.
“No other human activity poses this level of danger.” Coxon is urging Anthropic and other big artificial intelligence companies to slow their development of super intelligent agents. He says the current race dynamic could threaten human existence. Coxon talks with NPR's Scott Detrow about why he’s worried and what he hopes will change.
This episode was produced by Connor Donevan and Jeffrey Pierre, with audio engineering by Hannah Gluvna. Our director is Jonas Adams. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon Tinbete Ermyas.
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Source: NPR



