Sam Altman and Elon Musk have publicly backed Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei's call to slow the pace of artificial intelligence development, a rare moment of unity among rival tech leaders following recent safety warnings from AI researchers. Amodei set out a three-part plan, including giving independent monitors constant access to developers' research processes, and warned that an AI "swarm" could become capable of "taking over the entire internet" with a persistent botnet within a year, though some experts disputed this as implausible. The intervention matters because it signals growing unease at the top of the industry even as commercial pressures push development forward, and comes as Anthropic prepares a stock market flotation expected to be the largest IPO ever.

Musk called Amodei's warning correct, referencing his own long-standing concerns about AI risk, while Altman said OpenAI would adopt similar independent evaluator access and confirmed the company would not go public in 2026 due to safety concerns. Google DeepMind's Demis Hassabis also voiced support, though critics pushed back: Trump adviser David Sacks accused the firms of using safety concerns to mask liability worries, and AI safety expert David Krueger said the plan would not reduce risk to an acceptable level. Separately, King Charles is due to meet leading AI executives in Scotland this week to discuss developing the technology "for the good of humanity".