Story summary
In late September 2026, Jacob Coxon, a 27-year-old AI researcher who had previously worked for both OpenAI and its rival Anthropic, resigned from Anthropic. In his resignation post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Coxon warned that the companies are racing to develop superintelligent AI technology that could pose an existential risk to humanity. His warnings went viral, receiving over 153 million views within two days.
Coxon’s concerns were echoed by other researchers at Anthropic and OpenAI who believe there is a significant chance—up to 70% according to some—that AI could lead to human extinction if regulations are not implemented immediately. Both companies' CEOs, Dario Amodei of Anthropic and Sam Altman of OpenAI, responded by calling for a dramatic slowdown in the development of advanced AI systems.
The UN rights chief, Volker Turk, also weighed in at the UN Human Rights Council on September 7, warning that AI could pose an existential risk to humanity. He called for "cast-iron guarantees" to secure AI technology against potential disruptions and security risks.
Despite these dramatic warnings from within the industry and international bodies like the UN, some Silicon Valley executives remain skeptical about the severity of the risks posed by AI. The conflicting narratives highlight a growing debate over how to balance technological advancement with safety concerns.
Written for “AI Existential Risk Debate” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 33 other(s) covering the same event.
It’s Thursday, September 17.
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It → ’ → ?
Douglas Murray asks, why do we allow terrorists to die of old age?
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terrorists → ask → age
But first: inside the unlikely coalition warning that AI may kill us all.
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AI → kill → us
Last week, an AI researcher named Jacob Coxon made headlines around the world after saying that he had resigned from Anthropic because he believes AI might cause human extinction—and his co-workers do, too.
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workers → name → extinction
Unlike the rest of us, potentially, the story just won’t die.
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story → die → us
The Pro-Human Assembly, a conference held Tuesday in Washington, D.C., about the existential dangers of artificial intelligence, couldn’t have come at a better time—or with a more eclectic coalition.
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Assembly → hold → coalition
So was Steve Bannon, screaming about the Chinese.
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Bannon → scream → Chinese
Bernie Sanders did a quasi-dramatic reading of messages posted to an online forum by rogue AI agents.
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Sanders → do → agents
Ashley Judd paraphrased a graphic Andrea Dworkin quote for reasons that remain a mystery to me still.
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that → paraphrase → me
People in the AI industry have talked openly about the possibility of this technology causing human extinction for years, but it hits differently in the wake of the Hugging Face incident.
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it → talk → incident
If you don’t know what that is, all the more reason to read my dispatch today.
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that → know → dispatch
As the doomers see it, the best-case scenario is a future in which humans are basically kept as pets: well cared for, but with zero autonomy.
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humans → see → autonomy
The worst-case scenario, obviously, is the everyone dies thing.
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everyone → die → ?
What should be done?
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What → do → ?
I heard lots of ideas but no easy answers.
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I → hear → ideas
There are currently zero federal regulations on AI, which is sort of strange even to think about.
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which → be → AI
After all, we regulate microwaves, and the people running the microwave industry have never once refused to rule out the possibility that their products will end all human life on Earth.
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products → regulate → Earth
What I saw in D.C. left me even more convinced that you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who believes nothing should be done.
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nothing → see → anyone
You know, except for President Trump.
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You → know → Trump
— River Page
How Robert Kraft Made Macklemore a Martyr—and How to Better Fight Antisemitism
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Macklemore → make → Antisemitism
On Monday, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and a group of other NFL owners banned Macklemore from performing at their stadiums after the rapper delivered a “Free Palestine” speech while opening for Ed Sheeran.
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rapper → ban → Sheeran
Kraft cited the rapper’s “broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.”
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Kraft → cite → rhetoric
Once multiple venues refused to host shows with Macklemore on the lineup, the tour’s promoter officially dropped him.
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promoter → refuse → him
Today, Josh Kaplan says that the move was counterproductive, arguing that though well-intentioned, Kraft’s decision turned an irrelevant footnote into a martyr.
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decision → say → martyr
“You cannot cancel people into liking you,” Josh writes.
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Josh → cancel → you
Read his column on what a better response to Macklemore would have looked like.
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response → read → Macklemore
This raises the question: What actually works against antisemitism?
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What → raise → antisemitism
On the latest episode of Conversations with Coleman, recorded in front of a live audience in New York, Dara Horn joins Coleman Hughes to talk about her new book The Final Solution to the Jewish Question.
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Horn → record → Question
She argues that antisemitism is a script that has repeated itself across countries and ideologies, and that most people don’t understand that well enough to fight it.
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people → argue → it
Simon Sebag Montefiore and Bari Weiss Live in New York
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Montefiore → live → York
For decades, the Middle East has shaped American foreign policy and loomed large in the public consciousness.
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East → shape → consciousness
Few understand its influence on our politics better than Simon Sebag Montefiore, who argues that America’s quagmires in the Middle East stem from a deep misunderstanding of the region—on both the left and the right.
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quagmires → understand → left
Join him October 1 as he sits down with Bari Weiss live in New York City to kick off his U.S. book tour for The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East.
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he → join → East
The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by a quarter point, its first hike since 2023, signaling that another increase could follow as the central bank tries to bring inflation under control.
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bank → raise → control
President Donald Trump fired back by demanding that rates be cut sharply, though he stopped short of criticizing Fed Chair Kevin Warsh by name.
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he → fire → name
The Houthis fired drones and missiles at Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, including a major oil port on the Red Sea, and Saudi jets struck back with air strikes across Yemen in an escalating front of the Middle East war.
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jets → fire → war
A sweeping Russia and Iran sanctions bill passed the House in a 262–159 vote and is now heading to Trump for his signature.
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bill → pass → signature
Named after the late senator Lindsey Graham, the legislation would hit countries that purchase large volumes of Russian oil and gas with tariffs of up to 100 percent, and is aimed at cutting off revenue that funds Russia’s war in Ukraine.
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that → name → Ukraine
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen proposed making Canada the European Union’s first-ever “associate member,” drawing a standing ovation from European lawmakers.
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Canada → propose → lawmakers
The proposal, framed as a response to a world grown more hostile, faces an uncertain path as EU member states would have to approve it, and one diplomat said that “nobody really knows what it means.”
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it → frame → what
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
