Former Google DeepMind Engineer Bilal Chughtai Warns AI Could Cause Human Extinction Without Coordinated Safety Measures

Bilal Chughtai, who worked on advanced AI safety at Google DeepMind before leaving the company in July 2026, stated that artificial intelligence could lead to the extinction of humanity. He emphasized that while safe development remains possible, AI labs must coordinate efforts and stop the reckless race toward more powerful systems. Chughtai argued that development pace should match what society can safely handle, with threats assessed and mitigated before they cause extreme damage. Similar warnings have come from Anthropic researchers including Jacob Coxon, who suggested advanced models could cause human extinction by the end of the decade, and Evan Hubinger, who estimated over 10% probability within ten years. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for slowing frontier model development when safety measures lag capabilities, a view supported by Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The discussion focuses on external audits, unified standards, and controlled progress rather than a complete halt. U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed AI regulation calls as a hoax, creating a divide between industry caution and policy resistance, as noted by Reuters.

AntiMalwareTranslated from Russian

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Bilal Chughtai, a former engineer at Google DeepMind who specialized in the safety of advanced AI systems, has warned that artificial intelligence could lead to the extinction of humanity, with limited time remaining to prevent such an outcome.

Chughtai left Google DeepMind in July 2026. In a post on X, he stated that safe development of the technology is still achievable, but it requires AI laboratories to coordinate their actions and end the intense competition to build ever more powerful systems.

According to Chughtai, the speed of AI development must be adjusted to a level that society can manage effectively. Emerging threats need to be evaluated and addressed with protective measures before they escalate into catastrophic harm.

Chughtai is not the only expert to issue such warnings after departing a major AI company. Jacob Coxon, a researcher at Anthropic, indicated that creators of frontier models seriously consider the possibility of human extinction by the end of the current decade.

Evan Hubinger, also from Anthropic, assessed the probability of this scenario occurring within the next ten years at more than 10 percent.

Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, has called for reducing the pace of advanced model development when safety measures fail to keep up with capabilities. This position has received support from Elon Musk and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.

The proposal involves external audits, unified standards, and controlled development speed rather than a complete stop to research. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has rejected calls for AI regulation, describing them as a hoax.

The situation highlights a rare industry consensus on the need for caution alongside political resistance to any slowdown, with Reuters noting that the cost of miscalculation far exceeds typical quarterly revenue concerns.

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