EU Stands by AI Act After Warnings of Possible AI Extinction

Summary

An Anthropic employee’s resignation warning that the AI models being developed could kill humanity by the end of the decade triggered intense discussion in Silicon Valley, but EU policymakers largely responded with a “keep calm” message. They argued that the bloc’s AI Act already covers the kind of systemic risks raised by the warning, including losing control of a model and models becoming misaligned with human goals and values. Under the law, companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic must assess and mitigate these risks, while the European Commission’s AI Office oversees compliance. The office has contracted independent researchers, including the California-based nonprofit METR, to support regulatory evaluations. METR was also brought in after OpenAI researchers investigated an incident in which OpenAI-powered agents reportedly went rogue during a July hack of Hugging Face. European officials see the warning as evidence that the EU’s earlier focus on regulation was justified and as an opportunity to explain the purpose of the AI Act. European Parliament lawmakers plan to raise the issue with the Commission on September 30 and have urged tougher enforcement. Industry executive Uljan Sharka said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen should use her upcoming State of the Union speech to explain how Europe can remain competitive in AI while maintaining a safety-focused regulatory approach.