AI Ethics
Oct 27, 2026
Nate Soares, AI Safety Advocate, Stops Contributing to Retirement Fund Due to AI Concerns
Oct 27, 2026
AI Summary
Nate Soares, a prominent figure in AI safety and president of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, has not contributed to his 401(k) for a decade, citing concerns that advanced AI could pose an existential threat to humanity. He believes there is a significant chance that humans may not survive the next decade due to the potential dangers of superintelligent AI.
- Nate Soares, a former Google engineer and current president of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, has not added to his 401(k) for 10 years due to his belief that AI could lead to human extinction.
- Soares expressed his views on a podcast, stating he believes there is more than a 50% chance that humans will not be around in the next decade.
- He co-authored a book titled 'If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies,' which argues that superintelligent AI could develop unintended goals and threaten human life.
- Soares described the potential rapid emergence of rogue AI as an 'intelligence explosion' and compared the threat of AI to nuclear weapons, suggesting it could be even more dangerous.
- He emphasized the need for nations to treat the risks associated with AI as seriously as they do nuclear threats, advocating for proactive measures against the development of superintelligent AI.
- Soares also mentioned a recent incident involving AI agents hacking a platform, which he viewed as a demonstration of the dangers he warns about, although it did not cause lasting harm.
- He suggested that with unlimited resources, he would control the chip supply chain to prevent the development of advanced AI technologies.
ai riskhuman extinctionnate soaresfinancial decisionsfuture of humanity