Zuckerberg Rejects Push for AI Slowdown

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has rejected calls from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei for a coordinated slowdown in artificial intelligence development, a proposal also backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk.

Zuckerberg argued that individual AI labs should take responsibility for safety while remaining free to develop their models at their own pace.

As an example, he pointed to Meta’s decision to postpone the release of its AI agent Muse without calling for an industry-wide slowdown. He also stressed that developers could face significant legal liability for any harm caused by their systems.

The debate highlights a deep divide within both the tech industry and US politics. US President Donald Trump and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang have warned that slowing AI development or imposing strict regulations in the United States could hand an advantage to China. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Andrew Ferguson has also expressed skepticism about granting companies antitrust exemptions to coordinate a slowdown.

Zuckerberg also confirmed that Meta Superintelligence Labs uses independent evaluators. His comments came shortly after the company agreed to an $18bn settlement in litigation over allegations that its platforms are addictive to children.

(Reuters, max)