Calls grow to slow AI progress
Questions mount over what an AI 'slowdown' would look like
Sunday, 13 September 2026
Warm-up
- Where do you already use AI in daily life?
- What risks from AI worry you the most, if any?
- When is it wise to pause a fast-moving technology?
Vocabulary
- existential
- Describing a threat so serious that it could end human life or society.
- slowdown
- A deliberate reduction in speed or progress.
- enforce
- To make sure a rule or plan is followed by using authority.
- transparent
- Open and honest so that others can see what is happening.
- regulation
- Official rules made by authorities to control an activity.
- vulnerable
- Open to harm or attack; not well protected.
- revenue
- Money a company or organisation earns from its activities.
- backfire
- To have the opposite effect from the one intended.
Reading
A growing group of industry leaders now says AI should slow down. Anthropic's chief, Dario Amodei, urged a slowdown, and rivals Sam Altman of OpenAI and Elon Musk signalled support. Some staff fear existential risks: ex-Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon told the BBC they were "genuinely frightened". Yet a pause is hard to enforce. Firms also face a US–China race for leadership. Companies worry they would be left behind.
Amodei has suggested independent monitoring of models, industry-wide regulation, and global regulation. However, critics ask who would police such rules and whether firms would be transparent. Some also warn that stopping model training could leave firms vulnerable to Chinese rivals.
In the UK, AI is central to growth plans, so a slowdown could hurt prospects.
Meanwhile, the industry burns cash and energy, while revenue lags. Some adopters report disappointment, and economists warn the bubble could burst. OpenAI has paused its march toward a listing. Alexander Voica of Synthesia warns that rushing into strict rules could backfire, since future uses remain uncertain.
Comprehension
- Who first urged a slowdown in AI development?
- Which two rivals publicly backed the call to slow down?
- Which rivalry makes a pause hard to enforce?
- What three measures did Amodei propose for managing AI?
- Why does Alexander Voica warn against strict rules now?
Grammar focus
Formal multiword connectors
Formal multiword connectors are fixed phrases used in formal writing (e.g. legal or policy contexts). You must use the whole phrase in the correct order because small changes make them ungrammatical. (Examples constructed.)
- Industry leaders urged action **notwithstanding the risks** to growth.
- Firms lobbied **with a view to** shaping global regulation.
Grammar exercise
Circle the correct option in each sentence.
- Companies lobbied (with a view to / with a view of) shaping rules.
- Regulators acted (insofar of / insofar as) risks were clear.
- Firms continued investment, (notwithstanding / notwithstanding of) competition from China.
- The board changed plans (on grounds that / on the grounds that) a slowdown would hurt growth.
- The proposal was drafted (with a view of / with a view to) protecting users.
Discussion
- Should governments or companies lead any AI slowdown? Why?
- Would a pause harm innovation more than it protects safety?
- How could transparency about AI projects be made credible?
- What might a burst AI bubble change in your country?
Vocabulary, reading, and exercises with instant feedback