"Are We Creating Something Harmful?" Anxiety Spreads Among AI Developers

[Financial News] Employees at leading artificial intelligence (AI) companies and related institutions reportedly feel psychological distress over the possibility that the products they are creating could be used in dangerous areas such as warfare.
According to the British daily Financial Times (FT) on the 22nd local time, many employees at the UK's AI Security Institute (AISI), an organization that independently evaluates frontier AI models, have taken sick leave and sought counseling due to mental stress. Their concerns center on the rapid spread of new AI technologies and advances in their capabilities. They are also reportedly experiencing a sense of helplessness over their inability to maintain control.
Employees at leading industry companies such as Anthropic, OpenAI and Google DeepMind have voiced similar concerns. One DeepMind employee said that making AI safer felt like an "impossible mission." The employee went on to say, "I also feel like we're creating something harmful."
Earlier, in April, Google employees also protested the use of AI models in classified military work for the United States Department of Defense (DoD). AI-related work generally brings anxiety for developers because they do not know how the technology will ultimately be used.
AI researchers share concerns about the pressure to apply AI software to areas such as energy grids and warfare, where interests can collide sharply or the potential damage can be extensive, even though safeguards within companies and at the political level remain inadequate.
The FT analyzed that more than 12 senior researchers have left the three leading U.S. companies—OpenAI, Anthropic and DeepMind—over the past two years after voicing such concerns. Earlier this month, Anthropic AI developer Jacob Coxon resigned and warned, "(Anthropic and OpenAI) are gambling with our lives."
[email protected] Kim Tae-il Reporter