Top US AI Firms Signal Slowdown on Superintelligence, but Motives Questioned

Several leading US artificial intelligence companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and X, are publicly calling for a slower pace of advanced AI development. The shift in tone follows a summer marked by incidents involving rogue AI agents and renewed warnings from researchers about existential risks posed by the technology. Executives such as Anthropic's CEO have specifically advocated for restraint, while OpenAI has begun disclosing safety incidents under new internal reporting rules. Critics and observers are questioning whether these calls for caution reflect genuine concern or serve as a strategic effort to limit competition. Meanwhile, debates continue over government regulation, the US-China AI race, and whether any meaningful slowdown will actually materialise.