A former Google DeepMind researcher has joined the growing chorus of voices sounding the alarm on artificial intelligence, warning this week that the technology has the potential to "extinguish humanity" and that the window to prevent such an outcome may be rapidly closing. This stark message adds to escalating public anxiety over the potential dangers of AI development.
Bilal Chughtai, who previously worked on AGI safety and alignment at Google DeepMind, announced his departure from the company in a post on X. He stated, "I truly believe AI has the capacity to exterminate humanity, and the time we have to avert this consequence may be running out." His resignation follows recent comments from Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon, who left his position last week partly because many in the AI field genuinely believe the technology could be lethal to all of us by the end of the decade.
Adding further weight to these concerns, Anthropic scientist Evan Hubinger responded to Coxon's statements by affirming their accuracy, revealing his own estimation that the probability of AI causing human extinction within the next ten years exceeds 10%. Chughtai's professional profile indicates he served as a research engineer at Google DeepMind, contributing to multiple research papers during his tenure before departing the company in July 2026.
These mounting risk concerns have prompted prominent industry leaders to advocate for caution. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called over the weekend for a slowdown in frontier AI development speed. This proposal unexpectedly garnered support from SpaceX's Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, igniting widespread debate about the so-called "AI doomsday" narrative. Chughtai emphasized that safely managing AI is achievable, but requires collaborative effort across multiple stakeholders to avoid the "insane race" between AI companies.
He stressed that the pace of AI development must be controlled within what society can tolerate, allowing for timely response to emerging risks before severe harm actually occurs. Despite these warnings, former President Donald Trump has dismissed such cautionary calls as a "scam" and a ploy for regulation, expressing skepticism on social media about the motivations behind those advocating for stricter oversight. The debate continues to intensify as the timeline for potential mitigation grows ever shorter.