Why Experts Say the AI Arms Race May Be Harder to Control Than Nuclear Weapons

Leading AI figures, including Elon Musk, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and OpenAI's Sam Altman, have repeatedly compared advanced artificial intelligence to nuclear weapons in terms of danger and destructive potential. Musk has called AI far more dangerous than nuclear arms, while Amodei likens powerful AI models to weaponisable nuclear materials. The comparison has prompted discussions about governance, with Altman frequently citing the International Atomic Energy Agency as a possible model for AI oversight. However, analysts suggest that regulating AI may prove significantly more difficult than controlling nuclear technology. Unlike nuclear weapons, AI development is decentralised, fast-moving, and involves a broad range of private actors beyond state control.