Turing laureate Robert Tarjan urges caution in AI race

Robert Tarjan, the 1986 Turing laureate and American computer scientist, has urged a more measured approach to artificial intelligence development, saying that moving faster does not necessarily lead to better outcomes and that societies should take time to weigh AI's benefits against its potential harms.

Tarjan made the remarks during an interview with China Global Television Network in Beijing, where he is attending the 2026 International Congress of Basic Science (ICBS).

The event, which kicked off on Sunday and runs through August 21, has brought together leading scientists from around the world to discuss the latest breakthroughs and pressing challenges in basic science.

As competition intensifies between the United States and China in AI, the two nations are taking distinctly different paths. The U.S. is focused on achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI) by developing massive models backed by extensive computing power, with the aim of leading in breakthrough innovation. China, meanwhile, emphasizes "AI plus," integrating AI technology with industry and society to maximize benefits for a broader population.

Commenting on these different approaches, Tarjan invoked the classic tortoise-and-hare fable, saying, "In this race, the fastest doesn't always win."

Asked about the potential risks and benefits, Tarjan said, "On the one hand, which approach is producing the most damage? And on the other hand, which approach is producing the most value to society? So we’re getting benefits, and there are going to be harms, and we’ll have to weigh the two somehow. We can take our time and be slow, actually. Maybe we just need to slow down, think about these issues. We don’t need to be in such a hurry."

The scientist also reflected on technology's broader social impact, questioning whether advances meant to improve people's lives have instead contributed to longer working hours and arguing that the wealth generated by technology should be shared more widely.

"Back in the 1950s, when I was a small child, there was this idea that technology was going to give everyone lots of leisure time. But somehow, all these technologies have only forced people to work more and more and more. But we have the resources to allow people to have more free time, actually. So maybe we need to redesign things a little bit to share all this wealth that is getting generated by the technologies to not require people to work full-time in order to support themselves. Maybe we should return to this ideal where you don't spend your entire life doing nothing, but you don't have to work so hard. Then people have a little more time to work on the things that they love," he said.

Turing laureate Robert Tarjan urges caution in AI race

U.S. stocks finished modestly higher on Thursday as benchmark Treasury yields eased from fresh multi-decade highs, though gains were capped by advancing crude oil prices and mixed corporate results.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 20.51 points, or 0.04 percent, to 50,926.56. The benchmark Standard and Poor's 500 added 14.91 points, or 0.19 percent, to 7,666.45, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index gained 10.53 points, or 0.04 percent, to finish at 26,871.6.

Six of the 11 primary Standard and Poor's 500 sectors closed in negative territory, with healthcare and communication services pacing the decliners by dropping 1.3 percent and 1.19 percent, respectively. Energy and industrials led the advancers, climbing 1.92 percent and 1 percent, respectively.

In the fixed-income market, borrowing costs pulled back from intraday highs. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note eased to 5.24 percent after spiking earlier in the session to 5.34 percent, touching a new multi-decade peak. The 30-year Treasury bond yield similarly hovered near levels not seen in 24 years before moderating into the close.

Commodity markets saw notable gains, reigniting supply-side inflation concerns. West Texas Intermediate crude for November delivery advanced 2.45 U.S. dollars, or 2.71 percent, to settle at 92.87 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for December delivery climbed 4.28 dollars, or 4.37 percent, to close at 102.31 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.

On the corporate front, Accenture soared almost 16 percent to pace the Standard and Poor's 500 after fiscal fourth-quarter earnings and revenue beat expectations and its fiscal 2027 earnings guidance came in above analysts' expectations.

Semiconductor manufacturer Micron Technology jumped over 3 percent after reporting blowout quarterly earnings, with revenue rising nearly fourfold year on year. Meanwhile, scrutiny over financing arrangements within the artificial intelligence sector intensified following a Reuters report that Broadcom agreed to lend AI startup Anthropic up to 42 billion U.S. dollars to finance infrastructure spending. Anthropic is projected to become Broadcom's largest compute customer by next year.

On the macroeconomic front, initial filings for state unemployment benefits dropped for the fourth consecutive week, pointing to resilience in the U.S. labor market. In addition, executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas reported that planned corporate layoffs fell in September, pointing to a persistent "low hire, low fire" employment landscape ahead of Friday's nonfarm payrolls report.

U.S. stocks edge up as chip stocks rally, bond yields retreat