Anthropic Staff Prepare Escape Plans in Case AI Goes Out of Control

Several senior staff at US AI company Anthropic are quietly making concrete plans in case AI goes out of control. The Wall Street Journal reports that some early employees have told industry peers in recent weeks they plan to buy land in remote parts of the US to build hideouts so they can move their families there if AI turns against humanity.

This idea of "escaping AI" is nothing new at the company. Former employees recall that at early company dinners, people already imagined being called up by the government to work in secret desert military bases on cutting-edge AI. Staff also discuss doomsday scenarios and response plans in private Slack channels.

An Anthropic spokesperson said the company now has over 3,500 employees and that internal discussions about technology reflect a wide range of views.