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Thu, 04 Jun 2026

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 AI needs a 'brake pedal', warns Anthropic co-founder

Jack Clark tells BBC's Newsnight AI could get to the point where it develops without human input.
Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark warns that AI technology is reaching a point where it could develop independently, and calls for regulation to slow its progression. He likens the current state of AI development to having a gas pedal without a brake pedal, saying "the world needs to do some thinking" on how to regulate this rapidly evolving field. Clark notes that Anthropic's chatbot Claude is already writing 80% of its own code and could reach 100% autonomy within two years. He warns that this would have significant implications and emphasizes the need for governments to develop regulations that give people confidence in AI systems. In an interview with BBC Newsnight, Clark drew a parallel between AI development and the oil industry at the turn of the last century, suggesting that society needs to establish a regulatory framework similar to one developed for oil companies. He stresses that this is not just about ensuring public safety but also about maintaining trust in these emerging technologies. Anthropic welcomed an executive order on AI from US President Donald Trump earlier this week, which was seen as relatively hands-off in its directives towards the companies. Clark notes that his company and others like OpenAI and Google have not said they will pause their research, despite growing concerns about the risks associated with unchecked AI development. As Anthropic prepares to debut on the public stock market, Clark emphasizes that the motivation for publicly discussing these issues is not to burnish the company's reputation but rather to sound a warning about the rapid progress of this technology. He expresses concern about the potential risks and implications of unregulated AI development, including its impact on jobs and society as a whole. Clark suggests that people who are creative and have better ideas may actually have an advantage over AI technology, which is currently limited by its inability to generate truly original ideas. However, he also emphasizes the importance of developing skills and education in areas such as liberal arts, which can complement AI capabilities rather than being replaced by them.