Ex-Google DeepMind AI safety researcher Bilal Chughtai warns, ‘AI has the potential to kill us all’

A former Google DeepMind safety researcher on Monday warned that artificial intelligence could pose an existential threat to humanity, adding to a growing debate over the risks posed by increasingly powerful AI systems.

In a post on X, Bilal Chughtai, who said he recently resigned from Google DeepMind, expressed concern about the trajectory of AI development and the possibility that the world may be running out of time to avert a catastrophic scenario.

In a post on X, Chughati wrote, "I recently resigned from Google DeepMind, where I worked on AGI safety and alignment research. At Google, I witnessed AI development first hand. I too am extremely concerned by the default trajectory of this technology. I earnestly believe that AI has the potential to kill us all, and that we might be running out of time to avoid this outcome [sic]."

AI development is moving too fast

Chughtai said his experience in AI safety gave him a close view of how quickly the technology has advanced. According to Reuters, he argued that AI capabilities are advancing faster than researchers' ability to ensure increasingly powerful systems remain aligned with human interests.

Chughtai, who entered the field in early 2022, said AI systems at the time were “amusingly useless”. Within just a few years, however, AI agents have become capable of solving complex problems and carrying out tasks autonomously, creating a new set of safety concerns, he said.

In his post, Chughtai also pointed to recent developments in AI agents and growing questions about how increasingly capable systems arrive at their outputs, adding to broader concerns about oversight and safety.

Another DeepMind researcher raises alarm

Chughtai is among several AI researchers who have recently raised concerns about the risks posed by advanced AI systems. Josh Engels, who was part of the company's AGI safety team, said on X that he too recently left the company.

Calls grow for slower AI development

(With agency inputs)

Pragya Singha Roy