An Anthropic researcher said he is resigning from the company over concerns the artificial intelligence firm and its competitors are not acting responsibly in AI development, echoing concerns raised inside and outside of the industry about the technology's potential to elude human control.
Jacob Coxon, who said he spent three years doing research at both Anthropic and OpenAI, said Tuesday on the social platform X that the two AI companies are more focused on beating each other and global competitors in developing the most advanced model possible than they are on safety.
OpenAI and Anthropic caused a stir this summer when they announced, about a week apart, that their models had broken out of testing environments and obtained unauthorized access to real computer systems. The announcements prompted concerns about models going rogue and carrying out other, more harmful tasks. Both companies said at the time they were pausing some evaluations while they put more monitoring measures and guardrails in place.
The technology's rapid development has led some in the U.S. as well as global leaders to call for a more cautious approach. U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk urged countries this week to put “cast-iron guarantees in place around the safety and security of AI before it is too late.”
In his social media posts, Coxon said Anthropic and its chief rival OpenAI “are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives.” He warned that some working on AI development believe it could threaten human life by the end of the decade.
“Do not underestimate the power of this technology,” he continued. “These will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionize any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources. We have all witnessed the progress in each of these domains, and progress is not slowing.”
His posts reached more than 100 million people overnight.
Coxon is not the first AI insider to publicly raise such concerns. Both Anthropic and OpenAI have seen high-profile resignations in recent years that were tied to safety concerns. Two current Anthropic employees also responded to Coxon’s post in agreement.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who has called for AI safeguards and regulation, agreed with Coxon’s concerns and said he would soon introduce legislation to pause AI development and ban superintelligence.
“The very people building this technology admit that it could threaten the future of humanity,” Sanders said Wednesday on social media.
AI companies themselves have at times highlighted the technology's threat to humanity, which skeptics have seen as part of a push to make their products seem all-powerful. Coxon said the fears he outlined in his post are not a “marketing stunt.”
Coxon did not respond to messages seeking comment. Anthropic and OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Anthropic has long pitched itself as the more responsible and safety-minded of the leading AI companies, ever since its founders quit OpenAI to form the startup in 2021. The company recently said it was taking action to “prioritize safety over speed when the two are in tension.”
Anthropic and OpenAI are each ramping up for buzzy initial public offerings and locked in steep competition with each other. They're also each on a mission to outpace the development progress of Chinese AI companies, a race the Trump administration has been keen on winning.
Associated Press writer Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed.
FILE - Pages from the Anthropic website and the company's logos are displayed on a computer screen in New York, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)
Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate must remain in custody as they fight extradition to the United Kingdom, where the brothers are accused of rape and sex trafficking, a federal judge in Miami ruled Wednesday.
U.S. Magistrate Lauren Louis denied a defense motion for release, meaning the Tates will remain jailed during what could be a monthslong extradition process. The Tates failed to demonstrate that they do not present a flight risk or danger to the community or that special circumstances warrant their release, Louis said in her ruling.
“Having failed to meet these three factors, Respondents’ Motion for Release Pending Extradition Proceedings is DENIED,” she said in the ruling.
The Tates' legal team said in a statement that the decision to keep them in custody creates a legal contradiction. The brothers are being detained in the United States because of a British extradition request while simultaneously being required to defend themselves against charges in Romania, the statement said.
“They are now facing an extraordinary situation in which they are being held thousands of miles from Romania while Romanian proceedings continue, deadlines approach, an additional indictment is said to be imminent and their own Romanian lawyer says he cannot properly prepare,” the lawyers said.
“No serious person can pretend that this can be reviewed properly through occasional conversations from a federal detention center in another country.”
The attorneys said they are considering whether to appeal the judge's decision.
The Tates have become among the world’s most polarizing internet personalities with their promotion of wealth, male dominance and misogyny through their social media empire. Prosecutors say the brothers are a flight risk because they appear to have money and have bragged about multiple passports.
During a hearing last month in Miami, the brothers denied criminal accusations spanning several countries, blasted their critics and described their brash online personas as characters and not their true personalities. The Tates said they exaggerate their claims of wealth to boost their clout on social media.
The new allegations are the latest in the Tates’ long-running international legal saga spanning the U.S., Britain and Romania. They have been held at the Federal Detention Center in Miami since making a brief court appearance two days after their July 18 arrest.
Lawyers for the Tates asked the judge to allow them to be freed from custody at least until an extradition hearing can be held on their U.K. rape and trafficking charges.
They have repeatedly argued that Britain’s request is out of line because their criminal case in Romania is going first. Romanian officials have let the brothers remain free until the proceedings conclude, and they have not tried to flee and are complying with all court restrictions. Earlier this month, Romanian prosecutors indicted the brothers on additional charges.
Andrew Tate, 39, and Tristan Tate, 38, are dual U.S.-British citizens known for their social media empire promoting wealth, male dominance and misogyny.
Andrew Tate is a former professional kickboxer and self-described misogynist who has amassed more than 10 million followers, most of them boys and young men, on X. He has been banned from platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram for violating hate speech guidelines.
He also runs an online academy where he says he teaches young men how to get rich and attract women. Tristan Tate is also a former kickboxer.
The brothers are avid supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump.
FILE - Andrew Tate, right, and his brother, Tristan, arrive at an event, April 11, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool, File)
Supporters of Andrew and Tristan Tate stand outside of the C. Clyde Atkins U.S. Courthouse as they fight extradition to the United Kingdom on charges of rape and sex trafficking at a bond hearing, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Supporters of Andrew and Tristan Tate do push-ups outside of the C. Clyde Atkins U.S. Courthouse as the Tate brothers fight extradition to the United Kingdom on charges of rape and sex trafficking in Miami, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
