Concerns over the potential dangers of artificial intelligence are growing after a former Google DeepMind researcher warned that advanced AI could potentially pose an existential threat to humanity.
Bilal Chughtai, who worked on artificial general intelligence (AGI) safety and alignment research at Google DeepMind, said he had resigned from the company because he believed the risks posed by AI were becoming increasingly serious.
“I earnestly believe that AI has the potential to kill us all, and that we might be running out of time to avoid this outcome,” Chughtai wrote on X.
His remarks come amid growing concern among AI researchers over the potential consequences of developing increasingly advanced systems without adequate safety measures.
Last week, Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon said he had resigned partly because some people developing AI “earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade”.
Anthropic scientist Evan Hubinger subsequently backed Coxon’s concerns, saying he believed there was a greater than 10 per cent probability that AI could kill all humans within the next decade.
Chughtai, who co-authored research papers during his time at Google DeepMind, worked as a research engineer at the company and left in July 2026, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Amid the growing debate, Anthropic Chief Executive Officer Dario Amodei recently called for a slowdown in the development of advanced AI systems. His position received backing from SpaceX founder Elon Musk and OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman, intensifying a wider debate over concerns often described as “AI doomerism”.
Chughtai said avoiding the worst-case scenarios remained possible but would require greater coordination among AI companies and policymakers.
“We need to pace AI development to a speed that society can handle, where emerging risks can be addressed before extreme harm is realised,” he said.
He also called for an end to what he described as a “manic race between AI companies”, arguing that responsible development would require the industry to prioritise safety alongside technological progress.
US President Donald Trump, however, has dismissed calls for tighter regulation of the AI sector, describing industry warnings about the need for regulation as a “hoax” in a social media post.
The contrasting views highlight an increasingly contentious debate over how quickly advanced AI should be developed and what safeguards should be put in place to address potential risks to society and humanity.
