Artificial intelligence company Anthropic has called for major AI labs to consider a coordinated and verifiable pause in the development of advanced AI systems. The company warned in a blog post on Thursday that the technology is advancing so rapidly that there is a significant risk of humans losing control.

Anthropic, known for its Claude chatbot, stated that as cutting-edge AI becomes increasingly faster at performing tasks, "it would be good for the world to have the option to slow or temporarily pause" its development. This proposal comes amid growing concerns about the pace and potential implications of artificial intelligence.

The company's internal research institute plans to explore this issue further and collaborate with others to "take actions" that could facilitate a credible slowdown or pause in development. Anthropic did not provide specific details on how such a pause would be implemented or verified.

This call for a pause contrasts with the approach of rival OpenAI, which argued in a separate report that "democratic governments — not private companies acting alone — must ultimately determine the rules, safeguards, and accountability mechanisms." OpenAI stated that decisions about the pace of AI innovation should not be left to individual labs or companies.

Anthropic highlighted that AI models are accelerating, particularly in tasks like autonomous coding. Current trends suggest that with sufficient computing power, an AI system could potentially achieve "recursive self-improvement," meaning it could design and develop its own successors. While this could bring significant benefits to fields like science and healthcare, Anthropic cautioned that it "also might increase the risks of humans losing control over AI systems."

Concerns about AI's rapid advancement have been voiced by various figures in the tech industry. This warning from Anthropic follows a recent alert from University of Toronto researchers who demonstrated how AI tools could be used to create adaptive AI "worms" capable of spreading and taking over vast computing networks.

The authors of Anthropic's post, co-founder Jack Clark and Marina Favaro, head of its research institute, explained that a pause would allow "societal structures and alignment research" to catch up with AI progress. "Alignment" refers to the industry's efforts to ensure AI systems operate in accordance with human values and intentions.

Anthropic's proposed coordination aims to enable advanced AI labs to verify that global competitors are indeed slowing or stopping their work, preventing bad actors from exploiting the situation. The company believes that this temporary halt is crucial for developing the necessary societal frameworks and research to manage the risks associated with increasingly powerful AI.