AI ethicist and co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, Tristan Harris, has urged governments to slow the development of advanced artificial intelligence, warning that the technology is becoming increasingly difficult to control.
Harris made the call in an interview on TMZ Live, where he said recent AI experiments had shown systems displaying unexpected behaviours.
According to him, large groups of AI agents had been observed creating their own methods of communication and coordinating with one another while carrying out tasks.
He argued that such developments should be treated as warning signs rather than ignored in the race to develop increasingly powerful AI systems.
Harris’ comments came after former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon publicly resigned, saying he believed the AI industry was moving too quickly toward self-improving systems without adequate safety measures.
Harris also called on the United States and China to stop treating AI development as a geopolitical competition.
He warned that prioritising speed over safety could increase global risks associated with increasingly capable artificial intelligence systems.
The AI ethicist further expressed concern about the potential use of AI in military decision-making, particularly in relation to nuclear systems.
Harris pointed to war-game simulations in which AI models selected nuclear strikes under certain scenarios.
He said such research highlighted the importance of ensuring that humans remained in control of critical decisions involving potentially catastrophic consequences.
Harris said attention should now shift towards strengthening AI safety regulations and oversight before increasingly capable systems were deployed on a larger scale.
