OpenAI, Anthropic prepare for public backlash after catastrophic AI event: Report
AI leaders believe a major, real-world incident caused by AI is inevitable within the next 6 to 12 months
Top executives at AI companies including OpenAI and Anthropic are privately running different scenarios aimed at preparing for a public and political backlash following a catastrophic AI event.
As reported by Axios, the officials anticipate large-scale incidents most likely a major cyberattack that could disrupt critical infrastructure such as financial services, power, internet connectivity and water systems.
These crisis-management drills focus heavily on anticipating a severe public, legal, and political backlash if an advanced AI system causes massive real-world harm.
The scenario preparedness comes after recent security breaches such as the Hugging Face incident and use of AI tools in targeting South Korean financial institutions.
Unlike standard corporate risk planning, many AI leaders believe a major, real-world incident caused by AI is inevitable within the next 6 to 12 months.
In the wake of such a catastrophic event, it is possible that the public would turn against these top AI executives like Sam Altman and Dario Amodei, drawing fierce backlash.
Such scenario planning is a commonplace activity when it comes to national security challenges. OpenAI confirms it runs preparedness exercises, but says, "These scenarios are not treated as inevitable, but are meant to help us prepare for a variety of circumstances."
"OpenAI conducts preparedness exercises where teams discuss and work through a range of potential scenarios.”
However, Anthropic did not comment on this report.
While current federal regulation lacks traction, AI companies are heavily focused on educating members of Congress now so they can shape the emergency legislation and policies that would follow a crisis.
