Inside AI Giants, Wargaming the Public and Political Backlash After a "Disaster Day"

PANews October 9 news, according to Axios, executives at AI companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI are privately gaming out how to respond to public and political backlash after a catastrophic AI incident. These executives expect a large-scale event, most likely a cyberattack that cuts off financial services, internet connectivity, or even water and power supplies, and most leading AI researchers and executives believe a major incident is inevitable. OpenAI says it conducts "preparedness drills" but does not treat them as certain, while Anthropic declined to comment. The planning includes red-team exercises for worst-case scenarios, with the core being to step up AI education for members of Congress in order to shape the legislative direction after the first catastrophic incident. Most industry insiders believe a major incident will occur within the next 6 to 12 months. Democrats may push for AI restrictions after the midterm elections, with proposals including banning superintelligence, pausing advanced AI development, and setting a "kill switch" for advanced AI.