AI safety leader quits Anthropic with global risk warning
Industry tensions are rising after an Anthropic safeguards expert resigned, citing ethical strain and concern over advanced AI’s direction.
A prominent AI safety researcher has resigned from Anthropic, issuing a stark warning about global technological and societal risks. Mrinank Sharma announced his departure in a public letter, citing concerns spanning AI development, bioweapons, and broader geopolitical instability.
Sharma led AI safeguards research, including model alignment, bioterrorism risks, and human-AI behavioural dynamics. Despite praising his tenure, he said ethical tensions and pressures hindered the pursuit of long-term safety priorities.
His exit comes amid wider turbulence across the AI sector. Another researcher recently left OpenAI, raising concerns over the integration of advertising into chatbot environments and the psychological implications of increasingly human-like AI interactions.
Anthropic, founded by former OpenAI staff, balances commercial AI deployment with safety and risk mitigation. Sharma plans to return to the UK to study poetry, stepping back from AI research amid global uncertainty.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!