Anthropic Co-Founder Calls for AI ‘Brake Pedal’ as Technology Advances
A senior executive at artificial intelligence company Anthropic has urged governments and policymakers to develop mechanisms that can slow the pace of AI development when necessary, warning that the technology is rapidly becoming more autonomous.
Speaking during an interview with BBC Newsnight, Jack Clark said the AI industry currently has strong incentives to accelerate innovation but lacks adequate safeguards to pause or regulate progress if concerns emerge.
According to Clark, policymakers should ensure that humans remain in control of increasingly powerful AI systems, noting that the technology’s impact on society is expected to grow significantly in the coming years.
He argued that governments need to begin developing regulatory frameworks that provide confidence in AI systems while balancing innovation with safety.
Clark revealed that a substantial portion of the code powering Anthropic’s chatbot, Claude AI, is already generated by the system itself. He suggested that within the next two years, AI systems could potentially write all of their own code, a development he said would carry major implications for the technology sector and society at large.
Drawing a comparison with the early oil industry, Clark said technological breakthroughs often require regulatory oversight to ensure public trust and responsible use. He argued that the future of AI should not depend solely on the decisions of individual technology companies or their leaders.
His remarks come despite the AI industry’s continued push toward rapid development. Major players including OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic have continued expanding their research efforts while competing to build more capable AI systems.
Anthropic itself has emerged as one of the world’s most valuable AI startups and is reportedly preparing for a future public listing. The company has attracted significant investor interest as demand for AI technologies continues to grow.
The executive also highlighted concerns about AI’s potential impact on employment, particularly as increasingly sophisticated AI agents begin handling tasks traditionally performed by humans. Recent workforce reductions across parts of the technology industry have intensified discussions about automation and the future of work.
Despite those concerns, Clark expressed optimism about the value of human creativity. He suggested that skills such as critical thinking, curiosity, broad knowledge, and original idea generation may become even more important in an AI-driven economy.
According to him, while artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly capable of executing tasks, there remains limited evidence that current systems can independently produce truly original creative ideas.
Clark encouraged young people to continue developing diverse interests, reading widely, and cultivating creative skills, arguing that these qualities may help individuals thrive alongside increasingly powerful AI technologies rather than compete directly against them.
