The Vergecast

Your AI apocalypse questions, answered

16 sep 2026 · 00:31:46

Last week, an Anthropic researcher resigned and posted on X, "The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade." These warnings are nothing new, but this one managed to break into the mainstream. So, do the people making AI really think it could kill us all? How? And if it really could be as dangerous as they say, why would anyone continue to work on it? Senior AI reporter Hayden Field joined us to answer your questions about the AI freakout.

Further reading:

The iPhone 18 Pro’s big camera update is all about the small gains

Meta is reportedly ready to launch less pervy smart glasses

The Boox Palma 3 gets stylus support and a sleek redesign

Worried Anthropic researchers warn that AI ‘could kill all humans’

What execs and politicians are saying about slowing down AI development

Is Big Tech’s AI slowdown a safety pact or a cartel?

Trump and Mike Johnson think the AI industry is overreacting

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