Leading figures in artificial intelligence have thrown their weight behind a proposal to slow the pace of AI development, following mounting anxiety that the technology could spin out of control.
The move comes after Anthropic researchers repeatedly warned that AI systems could pose an existential threat to humanity within the coming years. In response, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei put forward a plan over the weekend — titled “We Must Pace the Frontier” — aimed at slowing the industry’s breakneck advancement to safeguard the public.
What is unusual is how quickly rivals lined up to support him. OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis, and xAI’s Elon Musk all publicly endorsed the proposal, with Altman going further by pledging to match Amodei’s commitment to letting independent safety evaluators operate inside his company with employee-level access.
Altman posted on X that he backed the push to pace the frontier and would adopt the same approach to outside evaluators. Hassabis said Amodei’s essay pointed in the right direction, while Musk offered a blunter endorsement, simply saying Amodei was right.
The unusual show of unity raises fresh questions about how AI should be regulated, what dangers it actually poses, and whether firms racing to build ever more powerful systems will genuinely slow down.
Three pillars, familiar obstacles
Amodei’s proposal rests on three ideas: bringing in outside evaluators with deep access to monitor risk, securing agreements among democratic nations on safety standards, and coordinating globally — including with authoritarian states such as China — on security matters.
None of this is new territory for Amodei, who has pushed for international coordination before. But the political and commercial landscape hasn’t shifted much either. Washington remains committed to winning the global AI race, past regulatory efforts have collapsed under industry lobbying, and AI startups are under pressure to ship increasingly powerful products ahead of massive public listings.
Skepticism from critics
Not everyone is convinced the gesture is sincere. Critics argue the major AI firms are trying to get ahead of tougher government regulation while preserving their dominant position in the industry. Both Anthropic and OpenAI declined to comment when approached.
Former Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel called the letter a striking admission that the industry is driving blind, while questioning the Trump administration’s silence on the matter.
Sarah Myers West of the AI Now Institute argued that AI companies have been allowed to effectively regulate themselves, calling it a failure of ordinary safety standards. Alex Bores, whose congressional run drew tens of millions in AI-linked campaign spending, urged regulation advocates not to be taken in by industry maneuvering.
Others, including former Trump AI adviser David Sacks and ex-FTC chair Alvaro Bedoya, raised concerns that Amodei’s proposal — particularly its suggestion of antitrust exemptions for industry coordination — could amount to regulatory capture that entrenches the biggest players while shutting out smaller rivals.
Washington unmoved
The proposal’s push for global coordination also runs against the current administration’s stance. President Trump, speaking to reporters during a visit to Ireland, dismissed calls to slow AI development, framing the competition with China in zero-sum terms and arguing that excessive caution could hold the US back. Vice President JD Vance had previously said AI dominance would not be won through excessive caution over safety. House Speaker Mike Johnson also indicated Congress has no plans to lead on AI safety regulation, leaving the responsibility with the companies themselves.
For now, the split is clear: some of the industry’s most powerful figures say they want the brakes applied, while political leaders in Washington show little appetite for imposing them.
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