Former Google DeepMind researcher Bilal Chughtai warned on July 14 that artificial intelligence development poses existential risks to humanity, stating that we do not have much time left. Chughtai, who resigned in July after working on artificial general intelligence safety and alignment, joins a growing wave of industry insiders raising alarms about the rapid race toward superintelligence.
Ex-Google Researcher Bilal Chughtai Raises Safety Alarms
Bilal Chughtai published statements on X and LinkedIn detailing his firsthand observations of development practices inside Google. According to Bloomberg, Chughtai worked specifically on alignment research, which designs systems to match human intentions and values.
“I directly observed how AI development proceeds at Google, and I too am extremely concerned about the basic direction this technology is headed,” Chughtai wrote on July 14. “I sincerely believe that AI has the potential to kill us, and that we do not have much time left.”
Chughtai warned that companies could build superintelligent AI systems surpassing human capabilities across all domains within the next few years. Because ensuring human intent remains a challenge, he noted that society might permanently lose command, potentially culminating in human extinction in the worst-case scenario. Chughtai suggested that averting these dangers calls for joint efforts to slow down a heated AI competition, while emphasizing the necessity for a broader group of people to boost openness in AI creation and carefully consider making sure AI serves human well-being.
Industry Departures and Leadership Warnings
Chughtai’s departure follows a similar exit earlier this month by Jacob Coxon, an AI developer who left Anthropic. Coxon criticized the rivalry between Anthropic and OpenAI, stating they are gambling with our lives as they race toward superintelligent AI. Coxon warned that many of the most aggressive scenarios are moving toward becoming reality and that the situation may already be out of control by the end of next year.
Concerns have also reached executive suites. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei urged in a statement and a blog post that the speed of AI development needs to be adjusted to prevent advanced AI from escaping human control and leading to catastrophic outcomes. In an unusual show of agreement, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk, who leads the AI business at SpaceX, expressed support and sympathy with Amodei’s concerns.
Despite these warnings from engineers and executives, political resistance remains. U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed demands for regulation from the AI industry, calling them “a scam.”
Balancing Innovation with Alignment Research
While Chughtai expressed severe concern over the trajectory of superintelligence, he believes there is still an opportunity to steer AI in a safer direction. Reports indicate he plans to continue focusing on AI safety.