Who Will Control the Pace of AI Development?

As Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei calls for the artificial intelligence industry to slow the pace of development, a central question is emerging: Who has the authority — or responsibility — to put the brakes on the race toward increasingly capable AI?

AI industry leaders are debating whether increasingly rapid development should be slowed and who should take responsibility for ensuring advanced AI systems are safe. [Photo: Jay Dixit]

Fortune's Andrew Nusca reported Sept. 14 that Amodei's call for slower development has received support from several prominent technology leaders, even as no clear mechanism exists for the industry to collectively slow down.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has expressed support for greater attention to AI safety, while SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said, “Dario is right.” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also endorsed a more deliberate approach to AI development.

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said Amodei's proposal pointed in the right direction and linked it to his own proposal for an industry-wide standards body for frontier AI.

The agreement, however, does not extend to who should actually take the first step.

Former White House AI and crypto adviser David Sacks argued that the frontier AI companies themselves should take responsibility because they are developing the most advanced systems.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, meanwhile, said there is an “obvious corporate responsibility” for companies developing AI models to ensure their products are safe.

He also rejected the idea of a moratorium, citing the strategic competition with China.

President Donald Trump has likewise rejected calls for a major slowdown.

On Sept. 14, he dismissed concerns that AI could destroy the world and argued that the United States needs to maintain its lead over China in the technology.

The result is a policy dilemma: AI companies are calling for greater safety measures, some lawmakers want stronger oversight, and the White House continues to emphasize rapid development and competition with China.

Amodei has argued that a complete halt is not the answer. Instead, he has called for stronger testing, independent evaluation and a broader effort to slow the rate at which frontier AI capabilities advance.