The Dispatch
· collected 2026-09-15 · by Steve Hayes, Jonah Goldberg, Michael Warren
In this podcast episode, Steve Hayes discusses with guests Jonah Goldberg, Mike Warren, and Klon Kitchen about concerns raised by Jacob Coxen, an Anthropic researcher who quit over fears AI might pose existential risks within a decade. The discussion centers on the ethical implications and potential dangers of rapid advancements in artificial intelligence technology.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-15,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In early September 2026, Jacob Coxon, a 27-year-old researcher at Anthropic, quit his job and issued stark warnings on social media that advanced artificial intelligence (AI) could lead to human extinction within a decade. His statement, supported by other researchers like Evan Hubinger, garnered significant attention, sparking public concern about the rapid development of AI technology. Coxon argued that companies like Anthropic and its competitor OpenAI are racing towards creating superintelligent systems without adequate safety measures in place.
The incident intensified existing debates over AI regulation and ethical concerns regarding the unchecked advancement of AI technologies. Industry experts and policymakers began to question whether current regulatory frameworks could adequately address potential existential risks posed by advanced AI. For instance, Mark Daley, chief AI officer at Western University in London, Ontario, compared the situation to a colony of ants versus humans, highlighting the lack of control over rapidly advancing AI systems.
Moreover, revelations about collaborations between leading AI companies and military institutions, such as contracts between Anthropic and the U.S. Department of Defense, raised further concerns about the ethical implications and potential misuse of AI technologies in warfare scenarios. These developments underscored the need for robust international regulations to prevent catastrophic outcomes from emerging AI technologies.
Written for “AI Existential Risk Fears” on 2026-09-15,
grounded in this article and the 37 other(s) covering the same event.
Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, Mike Warren, and Klon Kitchen to discuss the resignation of an Anthropic researcher over concerns that AI may “kill us all,” yet another flip-flop by the Trump administration on Ukraine, and President Trump’s $5,000 bribe to voters during the midterm convention.
uncertain
AI → join → convention
On today's podcast, we discuss the end of humanity.
asserted
we → discuss → humanity
Last week, Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxen quit the leading AI firm, arguing that, quote, "The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade," unquote.
uncertain
it → quit → decade
His comments, supported by other leading AI researchers, kicked off a feverish debate about the future of AI and humans.
asserted
comments → support → AI
We take a careful and sober look at that debate and the issues involved.
asserted
We → take → debate
Then the Trump administration over the weekend blamed Ukraine for prolonging the war Russia started nearly five years ago, and for creating a diesel fuel crisis with its attempts to defend itself.
asserted
Russia → blame → itself
And finally, not worth your time, the president stakes the midterms on a five thousand dollars bribe?
asserted
president → stake → bribe
I'm joined by Jonah Goldberg, Dispatch co-founder, Mike Warren, politics editor at The Dispatch, and Klon Kitchen, who for fifteen years served as an intelligence officer focusing on counterterrorism, cyber operations, and covert actions.
asserted
who → join → counterterrorism
Klon
was National Security Advisor to former Senator Ben Sasse and played a pivotal role in the US Cyberspace Solarium Commission, crafting the strategic blueprint for America's cyber defense.
asserted
Klon → play → defense
Let's dive right in.
asserted
's → let → ?
The latest debate on AI started with a tweet from Jacob Coxen, an AI researcher from Anthropic who had spent three years at OpenAI before that.
asserted
who → start → that
Coxen tweeted last week that he was quitting the company, Anthropic, because of his concerns that the race to win on, quote, "Self-improving superintelligence has the companies acting irresponsibly."
asserted
companies → tweet → superintelligence
As of Monday morning, his lead tweet in the thread has one hundred and seventy-one million views.
asserted
tweet → have → views
"I resigned from Anthropic today.
asserted
I → resign → Anthropic
I spent the last three years doing pre-training research at both OpenAI and Anthropic.
asserted
I → spend → Anthropic
Neither company is acting responsibly.
asserted
company → act → ?
They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives.
asserted
They → race → lives
These will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionize any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources.
asserted
that → hack → power
We've all witnessed the progress in each of these domains, and progress is not slowing.
asserted
progress → witness → domains
The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.
uncertain
it → build → decade
If anything, many executives and senior researchers will couch their phrasing in the press to sound sensible, but I hear the same people express fear privately.
asserted
people → couch → fear
No other human activity poses this level of danger."
asserted
activity → pose → danger
Klon, immediately after he tweeted that, several other senior people in AI safety research echoed his claims, including Evan Hubinger, a team lead at Anthropic, Alex Turner, a former research scientist at Google DeepMind, and Jakub Pača-Pachunks-Chucksky, chief scientist at OpenAI, urging extreme caution.
uncertain
people → tweet → caution
Clawn, you spend a lot of your time these days looking at AI, thinking about AI, talking about AI with the people driving these developments.
asserted
you → spend → developments
When you hear this, "The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill all of us by the end of the decade,"
what do you think?
uncertain
you → hear → what
Well, I think Jacob is accurately representing a significant portion of the AI safety group out there.
asserted
Jacob → think → group
And look, there's enough capability that's been on display, which I can talk about in detail, and enough concerning developments to continue to justify some of these concerns.
asserted
I → look → concerns
But not everybody feels equally alarmed by what Jacob is highlighting.
asserted
Jacob → feel → what
Let me just begin with kind of some of the presuppositions behind what he laid out.
asserted
he → let → what
The particular advancement that is driving what he wrote about is what's called recursive self-improvement, RSI.
asserted
what → drive → what
It's the idea of AIs building themselves, right?
asserted
AIs → build → themselves
And so the, the fundamental concern is, up until this point, as we have been building artificial intelligence,
asserted
we → build → intelligence
The Aporia
