TLDR
- Bilal Chughtai, who previously worked at Google DeepMind on AGI safety, published warnings on X and LinkedIn that AI poses an existential threat
- The research engineer departed from the company in July 2026 after focusing on alignment and safety protocols
- Anthropic’s Evan Hubinger publicly stated he sees more than a 10% probability of AI causing human extinction before 2035
- A coordinated call for reducing the pace of AI advancement emerged from Dario Amodei, with support from Elon Musk and Sam Altman
- Donald Trump rejected the concerns, branding regulatory efforts around AI safety as fraudulent
An engineer who previously worked at Google DeepMind has stepped forward with an urgent public statement about artificial intelligence, asserting that the technology represents an existential danger to humanity.
On Monday, Bilal Chughtai published his concerns across X and LinkedIn. During his tenure at Google DeepMind, he served as a research engineer specializing in AGI safety protocols and alignment challenges. His employment with the organization concluded in July 2026.
“I earnestly believe that AI has the potential to kill us all, and that we might be running out of time to avoid this outcome,” Chughtai wrote.
During his time at DeepMind, he contributed to multiple research publications. Requests for statement from Google went unanswered.
Chughtai has since joined BlueDot Impact, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating professionals across industries about AI safety considerations. Despite his warnings, he maintains hope that responsible AI development remains achievable.
Mounting Concerns From Industry Insiders
Chughtai’s departure and public statement fit within a broader pattern. Just weeks ago, Jacob Coxon, who held positions at both Anthropic and OpenAI, left his role and publicly criticized these organizations for “gambling with our lives” through their pursuit of superintelligence.
Evan Hubinger, a scientist at Anthropic, subsequently affirmed Coxon’s position. Hubinger stated his assessment that humanity faces greater than a 10% risk of extinction from AI systems before the decade ends.
These declarations have intensified what is becoming an increasingly visible disagreement within the artificial intelligence sector.
During the weekend, Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, released an extensive 3,800-word piece advocating for deliberately slowing the trajectory of cutting-edge AI development. His argument centered on preventing these technologies from evolving beyond human oversight capabilities.
Support From Tech’s Biggest Names
Amodei’s proposal received endorsements from two prominent technology executives. Both Sam Altman of OpenAI and Elon Musk of SpaceXAI signaled their support, marking an unusual moment of consensus among the trio.
Chughtai reinforced this perspective, cautioning against what he characterized as an “manic race between AI companies.”
“We need to pace AI development to a speed that society can handle, where emerging risks can be addressed before extreme harm is realised,” he wrote.
Opposition exists, however. President Donald Trump used social media to reject these warnings entirely, characterizing the AI sector’s regulatory advocacy as a “hoax.”
Discussion surrounding AI “doomerism” has moved beyond closed-door technical discussions and entered mainstream discourse. Several researchers have now publicly separated from their employers specifically over this disagreement.
Looking ahead, Chughtai indicated his work will concentrate on navigating these dangers constructively, rather than attempting to avoid AI development altogether.
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