Who Might Be Responsible IF AI Is Out of Control?

We have all been enveloped in a rush of thoughts, uses, and applications for Artificial Intelligence (AI). Every day we see articles, news stories, tv spots, web notices, social media comments, and much more as to the uses, benefits, and applications for AI.

However, recent stories in the news, such as one in the The Wall Street Journal (9/9/2026), screamed a warning to the public: What if AI is out of control and “takes over” without the controlling element of human intervention?

It has been reported that many AI firms have been, along with leadership in many governments, very concerned with this issue of AI “out of the box” of human control.

Recently, it was reported that Jacob Coxon from Anthropic, resigned from Anthropic, leaving a dire warning that AI in some instances has already functioned in ways that were not controlled by humans. Apparently, Mr. Coxon has expressed the opinion that such “running loose” actions by AI could lead to controlling or destroying humanity, if proper firewalls are not created and overseen to prevent such actions by AI.

With the huge financial commitments by major tech companies in AI development, along with related activities, such as data centers, it seems to be a difficult hurdle to think that these companies and countries, within the US and outside the US, such as China, North Korea, Taiwan, etc. will slow the race of AI development and take the time to be certain that there will not be “AI on the loose.”

The announcement by Mr. Coxon should encourage countries and companies to slow down and consider the implications of the warning announced by Mr. Coxon and others.

By

Dr. Mark Lee Levine, Professor, University of Denver