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Europe
BBC Business

AI staff 'genuinely frightened' for humanity's future, ex-Anthropic researcher tells BBC

An artificial intelligence researcher who quit AI firm Anthropic has said people working on the technology were "genuinely frightened" about the speed of its advancements and what it could mean for humanity. "I believe that if we don't slow down at the current rate of progress, there is a strong chance that we could all die in the immediate future," he said. Jacob Coxon was speaking to the BBC after his resignation post on the dangers of AI went viral on a backdrop of growing safety concerns about the industry. The 27-year-old's former boss, Anthropic head Dario Amodei, recently called for AI development to slow down - though some have questioned the motivations behind this. The bosses of two rival AI firms, Sam Altman of OpenAI and Elon Musk of xAI, have both said they agree with Amodei's proposal for industry-wide deceleration and regulation, as well as independent monitoring of AI model development. Amodei wrote in an essay on Saturday that developing the technology was not in question, but the risks associated with it were "serious", and that companies and governments must be given time to address them. Coxon – who worked at OpenAI before joining Anthropic – welcomed the suggestion of a slowdown but said it would need to be co-ordinated with China to avoid "a race at an international scale". "The people who work at these companies are completely serious when they ask for regulation because they find themselves trapped in a race. And they're scared of the outcomes of that race," he told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. The hardest question to answer, according to Coxon, was what an AI apocalypse would look like. One of the risks outlined in Amodei's comments was of a swarm of bots acting like a supercomputer that could take over the internet. In response to Coxon's departure, an Anthropic spokesperson told BBC News: "We have always been transparent that AI will bring both enormous benefits and unprecedented risks. "To address these risks, we continue to build models with some of the strongest safeguards in the industry."

AI staff 'genuinely frightened' for humanity's future, ex-Anthropic researcher tells BBC
Europe
BBC Business

Anthropic boss Dario Amodei calls for AI development to slow down

The head of AI company Anthropic has called for the pace of development of artificial intelligence models to slow down and to be closely monitored. Dario Amodei wrote in an online essay that developing AI was not in question, but that the risks associated with it were "serious" and that companies and governments must be given time to address them. The bosses of two rival AI firms, Sam Altman of OpenAI and Elon Musk, have both said they agree with Amodei. There have been growing concerns recently about the technology's potential risks. An AI researcher who left Anthropic told the BBC that "if we don't slow down at the current rate of progress, there is a strong chance that we could all die in the immediate future". Jacob Coxon told Laura Kuenssberg that people working at AI companies were "genuinely frightened... genuinely concerned about the fate of humanity in the next two years". "It's not at all an exaggeration to say that the people who are involved with both founding these companies and building the tech believe there is a possibility of human extinction," Coxon said. In Amodei's essay, called We Must Pace the Frontier and published on Saturday, he proposed a three-point plan that included independent monitoring of AI models as they are developed, industry-wide regulation and global regulation. As his proposal made the rounds, even competitors voiced support for the idea of third-party monitors who could evaluate the safety of models as they are developed. "I agree with Dario that we need to pace the frontier," wrote OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on X. He called independent evaluators "a great idea". Altman sounded similar safety concerns in a new interview, telling Fortune magazine that standards were "not at a place" to push AI capabilities much further. Musk, meanwhile, who founded Grok producer xAI, said the Anthropic boss was "right". The warnings have prompted calls to action, but US President Donald Trump has so far rejected such fears, saying on Thursday he was concerned that "if we don't win AI, we're going to be put in a very bad position".

Anthropic boss Dario Amodei calls for AI development to slow down
Europe
BBC Business

Dramatic insider warnings over AI fall flat with some in Silicon Valley

Image source, ReutersByLily JamaliNorth America technology correspondent, Reporting fromin San FranciscoPublished12 September 2026Updated 2 hours agoEach September, a who's who of executives from across Silicon Valley descends on San Francisco's Palace Hotel to charm investors at a conference hosted by the investment bank Goldman Sachs. This past week, between talk of growth and potential returns, tech titans found themselves addressing the abrupt resignation of Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon. Coxon, a 27-year-old who worked at OpenAI before joining its chief rival Anthropic, said on Tuesday that people building artificial intelligence (AI) believed the technology could destroy humanity. They are "gambling with our lives", he said, "these will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything". Coxon is by no means the first AI insider to publicly sound the alarm. There have been a string of high-profile resignations from both Anthropic and OpenAI in recent years over apparent safety concerns, and some current Anthropic employees even echoed Coxon's post. "We really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans! I personally think it is >10% within the next decade," a team lead at Anthropic, Evan Hubinger, posted on X. While Coxon said explicitly in his posts that his warnings were "not marketing", some executives and investors in Silicon Valley have reacted with scepticism to a recent flurry of insiders sounding the alarm. Anthropic and OpenAI are reportedly preparing for potentially record-setting initial public offerings, and some in the tech sector have suggested the latest stark comments about the dangers of AI may be designed to generate hype by signalling the power of these products. Anthropic's boss, Dario Amodei, has come under fire for saying AI technology could wipe out half of entry-level white-collar jobs and will "test who we are as a species". One conference speaker, Grindr CEO George Arison, told the BBC he believed this week's comments from Coxon and others were indicative of an "anti-civilisational worldview at Anthropic". He called them "dangerous" and said they had prompted him to instruct some engineers at the LGBTQ+ dating app to stop using Anthropic's technology. "It is irresponsible for us as stewards of our shareholders' money to be relying on a business that does what this company does, in terms of its public statements," he said.

Dramatic insider warnings over AI fall flat with some in Silicon Valley
Europe
The Guardian

Bond market rebuffs US treasury’s plan to buy back $6bn in government debt

Even after Scott Bessent announced the operation would target $6bn worth of government bonds, yields on Wednesday continued to rise. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenEven after Scott Bessent announced the operation would target $6bn worth of government bonds, yields on Wednesday continued to rise. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesUS economyBond market rebuffs US treasury’s plan to buy back $6bn in government debtScott Bessent made announcement on Wednesday as bond yields rose to highest point since 2008 financial crisis The US treasury moved to cut the cost of borrowing on Wednesday only to be swiftly rebuffed by the bond market. Scott Bessent, the treasury secretary, announced the US would buy back $6bn worth of government debt – treasuries – in an effort to alleviate a selloff in the US bond market that has put pressure on interest rates. But the size of the deal failed to appease bond buyers and the yield on 10-year treasuries rose to a three-year high. Rising inflation and uncertainty from the war in Iran have spooked investors from US bonds, what has historically been known to be one of the safest investment vehicles. Treasury yields have been rising, with the yield for the 30-year treasury bond hitting about 5.2% – the highest yield since the 2008 financial crisis. In an attempt to alleviate the bond market, Bessent on 19 August announced the treasury would at least double its typical buyback operation. The move is meant to stabilize the market: fewer bonds on the market should mean that yields go down. But in the weeks since the announcement, treasury yields have continued to rise. Even after Bessent announced the operation would target $6bn worth of government bonds, yields on Wednesday continued to rise. In August, US government debt for the first time in the country’s history reached $40tn – double the amount of debt from just 10 years ago. Higher yields could ultimately mean higher interest rates on loans, including mortgages, student debt and car loans, as these loans are often tied to the bond market. The move puts more pressure on the US Federal Reserve to deal with inflation, which has been pushed up by the war in Iran. The annualized inflation rate hit a three-year high in May before going down to 3.4% in July – 0.7% higher than the same time last year – largely because of higher energy prices. Donald Trump on Wednesday warned that oil prices were unlikely to come down before the midterm. Though Iran “can’t hold out any longer”, its leaders are “desperate to try and affect the election”, he said. “Right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward,” Trump predicted.

Bond market rebuffs US treasury’s plan to buy back $6bn in government debt
North America
CNBC Finance

What a historic summer box office reveals about massive shifts in the theatrical industry

The domestic box office tallied $4.76 billion in ticket sales during the period between May 1 and Sept. 7, the highest haul in cinematic history. The key moviegoing season, which starts the first weekend in May and runs through Labor Day weekend, is a pivotal piece of the theatrical calendar, typically responsible for 40% of the total annual domestic box office. The previous summer record was cemented in 2013 when films including Disney and Marvel's "Iron Man 3," Illumination's "Despicable Me 2," Warner Bros.' "Man of Steel," Pixar's "Monsters University" and Universal's "Fast & Furious 6" led the period to $4.75 billion. The 2026 season was boosted by Sony's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" and Universal's "The Odyssey," which together contributed more than $1.5 billion to the summer tally, or more than 30%. It was also helped by an extra week of ticket sales. In 2013, the summer began on May 3 and ended Sept. 2, a period that was seven days shorter. "This should be a blueprint for future summers," said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Rentrak. "One movie should not have to carry an entire season. You need the event pictures, the family films, the breakout surprises, and the independent films working together to keep people coming back. This summer showed what that combination can deliver." The summer 2026 box office ended nearly 10% ahead of 2019, according to data from Rentrak, the year before Covid shutdowns hamstrung ticket sales and before streaming took a bite out of moviegoing in earnest. This strong showing has positioned the 2026 year-to-date haul to be just 7.5%, or $595 million, behind that pre-pandemic marker and reaffirmed box office analysts' predictions that the full-year box office can top $10 billion for the first time in seven years. Heading into the summer movie season, 2026 lagged behind 2019 by 24%, or about $830 million in sales, according to Rentrak. While this year's box office is making gains, the figures don't tell the full story. Cinema operators, studios and analysts are celebrating the strong summer, citing a return to pre-pandemic normalcy, but industry dynamics have shifted. The post-pandemic era in the theatrical space has been defined by fewer screens, fewer moviegoers and fewer movies.

What a historic summer box office reveals about massive shifts in the theatrical industry
Asia
The Hindu BusinessLine

Elevate Campuses fixes IPO price band at ₹343-362 a share

Elevate Campuses, one of its kind company that owns and manages hotel facilities for universities and colleges, plans to raise ₹2,100 crore through an initial public offering. The initial share sale is a fresh issuance of 5.80 crore shares, with no offer for sale component. Retail investors can apply for a minimum of 41 shares and in multiples thereafter. The net proceeds from the fresh issue will be used for the following objects to acquire K-12 entities and campuses from the fellow subsidiaries from promoters. Fund inorganic growth via unidentified acquisitions, other strategic initiatives and general corporate purposes. Vinod Rao, Chief Financial Officer, Elevate Campuses said the company has a negative working capital as it collects the entire hostel fees from students at the start of admission and provides complete service including laundry services to students so that they can concentrate on studies. The company has also been getting good demand from Universities and colleges to manage their hostels, so that they can take care of core competency of educating students, he said. “We provide 17 course meals to students and have a dedicated app to service their requirements” he added. Elevate Campuses also owns K-12 education assets. It owns, operates, and manages on-campus student accommodations across higher education institutions and K-12 assets. As of March 31, it caters to 80,255 students across 15 cities in India and one city in the United Arab Emirates. The business operates under the “Good Host Spaces” and “ScholarZ” brands for student accommodation and manages K-12 assets under long-term lease arrangements with K-12 operators. Elevate Campuses portfolio comprises both owned and managed assets. The ‘Owned Portfolio’ comprises seven student accommodation campuses totaling 20,368 beds (“Owned Beds”) across six cities and two K-12 Assets in Dubai (UAE). The ‘Managed Portfolio’ comprises 14 student accommodation campuses, totaling 55,487 beds under management as of March-end.

Elevate Campuses fixes IPO price band at ₹343-362 a share
Asia
The Hindu BusinessLine

Lawsuit says Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI, Google made illegal agreement on AI slowdown

A new lawsuit claims Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI and Google made an illegal deal to slow the pace of their respective AI development. The lawsuit, which was filed Friday in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, argues that the leading AI companies violated antitrust laws when they agreed to coordinate slowdown efforts, and that doing so would reduce the value consumers get for paid AI subscriptions. The coordination largely took place on Sept 12, the lawsuit argues, when Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay urging for industrywide cooperation on decelerating advancements in favour of enhanced safety measures. It's clear that an agreement among the chief rivals in AI that their progress “should be slower than competition would otherwise produce has an anti-competitive effect on consumers,” the plaintiffs argue. Lawyers representing four named plaintiffs, who pay for subscriptions to ChatGPT, Claude, Grok or Gemini, are bringing the suit on behalf of a proposed nationwide class of other paid subscribers to those services. “AI will quickly spin out of human control and could kill us all if we allow AI safety and protocol ... to be controlled by private self-serving agreements between the world's most powerful for profit' technology companies,” said Nick Rowley, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs. Representatives for Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and SpaceXAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday. In his initial essay proposing the slowdown, Amodei acknowledged potential antitrust challenges, writing that it would be helpful for the US government to mediate “or at least enable” these cross-lab discussions. The government wouldn't need to participate, he wrote, but would need to “issue a narrow waiver for certain kinds of safety conversations”. In response, Altman said on social media that OpenAI welcomes the idea of a “federal framework that sets consistent safety requirements,” but said “we do not believe we need to wait for an anti-trust exemption or legislation to begin the work of providing this confidence”. While the recent conversations about pacing development were spurred by increasing concerns about AI evading human control, several leaders in the AI space have long talked about developing a shared set of standards or otherwise coordinating to ensure safety efforts remain paramount. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit contend they are not against the AI companies asking Congress, the White House or any other agency to develop AI regulation, nor are they against the companies asking for an antitrust exemption.

Lawsuit says Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI, Google made illegal agreement on AI slowdown
Asia
The Hindu BusinessLine

Insurance Query: When filing a health insurance claim

What are some best practices to follow when filing a health insurance claim in India? The health insurance claim process becomes far more seamless when policyholders understand their coverage in advance. Many only turn to the fine-print at the time of hospitalisation, when there is little time to spare. Given the range of inclusions, exclusions and conditions that can affect a claim, knowing your policy well is critical to a smooth claims experience. There are two ways to file a claim: cashless and reimbursement. Under a cashless claim, the insurer settles eligible medical expenses directly with the network hospital. However, policyholders may still have to pay for non-covered items, co-payments, deductibles or expenses exceeding policy limits. Under reimbursement, you pay the hospital first and claim the eligible amount from the insurer later. This route typically applies when you are treated at a non-network hospital or are unable to obtain cashless pre-authorisation. Where possible, opt for cashless treatment and identify your nearest network hospitals in advance. These two steps can save significant time and stress during an emergency. Some policies require policyholders to bear a fixed percentage of every admissible claim, known as co-payment. For instance, with a 20 per cent co-pay and an admissible claim of ₹1 lakh, you would pay ₹20,000 while the insurer pays ₹80,000. Co-payment clauses are common in senior-citizen plans and certain policy variants. They can significantly increase out-of-pocket expenses during hospitalisation, so check the clause before buying or renewing a policy. For cashless claims, share the medical records, proposed treatment and estimated costs with the insurer ahead of the procedure, wherever possible. If the approved amount is lower than the final hospital bill, you may have to pay the difference and seek reimbursement separately. Review the pre-authorisation approval carefully before discharge so you are clear about what the insurer will and will not cover. Keep prescriptions, consultation notes, diagnostic reports and bills organised from the start of treatment. This is particularly important for reimbursement claims, where incomplete documentation can lead to delays and repeated correspondence with the insurer. Many claim-related disputes stem from policyholders being unaware of their policy’s limitations. Review room-rent limits, waiting periods, disease-specific caps and exclusions before you need to make a claim. Room-rent limits, in particular, can catch policyholders off guard. If you choose a room above the eligible category, the insurer may proportionately reduce its contribution towards several associated hospital expenses, potentially increasing your out-of-pocket cost significantly.

Insurance Query: When filing a health insurance claim
North America
CNBC Finance

LA Rams President Kevin Demoff touts Australia push ahead of historic NFL game

MELBOURNE, Australia — The Los Angeles Rams will play the first-ever regular-season NFL game Down Under this week, but the team has been quietly building its profile in the country for the past five years. "We basically have full activation rights here in many ways that we would ... in Los Angeles," Kevin Demoff, president of the Rams, told CNBC. "We consider this an extension of our city, our market, our brand." In 2021, the Rams purchased NFL marketing rights for the Australian market as part of the league's Global Markets Program. It allows the team to use logos and marks in the region and to partner with local brands in an effort to build fandom overseas. The NFL has been expanding its international reach, playing a record nine games outside the U.S. during the 2026 season. The game in Melbourne between the Rams and the San Francisco 49ers is set for the Melbourne Cricket Ground at 10:35 a.m. Melbourne time on Friday, or 8:35 p.m. ET on Thursday. Demoff said the Rams own the rights to seven international markets, mostly in the Pacific Rim, and that Australia has felt like a natural fit. "Being a global city in Los Angeles, it's important to tap into those roots," he said. "When you think about Australia, everybody here flies over SoFi Stadium in Hollywood Park, [California,] as they come to the U.S. to enter to go to any other global destination." As part of the team's presence in Melbourne, the Rams built a 22-yard floating football field on the Yarra River. It will be open to the public via an LA Tailgate experience. Rams players, however, are arriving in Melbourne just one day before the game, while their opponents chartered a plane last week and have already been acclimating to the 17-hour time zone difference. "For us, this is a year-round effort, and I would much rather win the game and grow the market the other 51 weeks a year than focus on having our players here for that week," Demoff said in defense of his team's travel strategy. Because the Rams are among several NFL teams that own league marketing rights in Australia, they act as the home team for this week's game. The Rams have made several trips to Australia over the years, ranging from Super Bowl trophy tours and a flag football event to visits by mascot Rampage and the Rams cheerleaders. Kroenke Sports and Entertainment owns both the Rams and the NBA's Denver Nuggets. Last week, the NBA handed Steve Ballmer's Los Angeles Clippers one of the strongest punishments in league history for what it said amounted to "circumventing the salary cap rules," in connection with Kawhi Leonard's contract.

LA Rams President Kevin Demoff touts Australia push ahead of historic NFL game