Stuart Russell has warned that an unchecked artificial intelligence arms race could threaten humanity and urged governments to intervene
Technology leaders are engaged in an artificial intelligence “arms race” that could endanger humanity, leading computer scientist Stuart Russell said on Tuesday, urging governments to step in. Speaking to AFP at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, the University of California, Berkeley professor said world leaders must take collective action to address the risks posed by increasingly powerful systems.
Russell said the heads of major
AI companies recognise the dangers associated with the development of super-intelligent systems that may one day surpass human control. However, he argued that responsibility ultimately lies with governments.
“For governments to allow private entities to essentially play Russian roulette with every human being on earth is, in my view, a total dereliction of duty,” he said, describing the current trajectory as deeply concerning.
He added that while chief executives may wish to slow the race, they cannot do so alone. “Each of the CEOs of the main AI companies, I believe, wants to disarm” but cannot do so “unilaterally” as they would be fired by investors.
“Some of them have said it in public, and some of the told me it privately,” he said, noting that even Sam Altman, head of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, has said on record that AI could lead to human extinction.
OpenAI and rival US startup Anthropic have both faced public resignations from staff members raising ethical concerns. Anthropic also warned last week that its newest chatbot models could be steered towards “knowingly supporting—in small ways—efforts toward chemical weapon development and other heinous crimes”.
Expanding investment and emerging risks
Governments and corporations are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in energy-intensive data centres to train and operate generative AI systems. While the technology offers potential benefits such as drug discovery, it also carries risks including job losses, surveillance and online abuse.
Russell warned of an additional threat: “AI systems themselves taking control and human civilisation being collatoral damage in that process”.
Russell said international forums such as the AI summit in New Delhi offer a platform for regulatory discussions, although the three previous editions resulted only in voluntary commitments from technology firms.
“It really helps if each of the governments understand this issue. And so that’s why I’m here,” he said.
India is seeking to accelerate its role in the sector through the five-day summit, attended by technology executives and senior national delegations. Indian IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the country expects more than $200 billion in AI investments over the next two years, including roughly $90 billion already committed.
At the same time, concerns that AI tools could lead to widespread redundancies in India’s large customer service and technology support sectors have weighed on outsourcing firms, with shares falling in recent days.
Impact on jobs and social response
Russell said back-end roles in India are particularly vulnerable to automation.
“We are creating human imitators. And so of course, the natural application for that type of system is replacing humans.”
He also said he is observing growing resistance to AI, especially among younger generations.
“They actually are pushing back against the dehumanising aspects of AI,” he said.
“When you’re taking over all cognitive functions – the ability to answer a question, to make a decision, to make a plan… you are turning someone into less than a human being. The young people do not want that.”
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