Google DeepMind engineer quits over AI speed and superintelligence risks
Robert O’Callahan, a Google DeepMind engineer based in New Zealand, resigned on Friday, citing concerns that AI progress is moving too quickly and that pursuing artificial superintelligence (ASI) is inherently irresponsible. In a resignation letter and blog posts, O’Callahan—who worked on chips to accelerate AI—stated he could no longer ignore the potential harm, though he clarified he does not…
Key points
- Robert O’Callahan, a Google DeepMind engineer, resigned over concerns AI progress is too rapid and ASI risks are unchecked
- He worked on chips to make AI faster and cheaper but called the pursuit of superintelligence ‘inherently irresponsible’
- O’Callahan, a Christian, believes AI risks are real but uncertain, urging mitigation efforts while planning to continue AI-related work
O’Callahan’s departure follows similar exits at Anthropic and Google DeepMind over AI safety fears, though he distinguished himself by avoiding public timing with recent high-profile resignations. He plans to continue AI-related work, including studying AI agents for code debugging, and framed his departure as coincidental with broader industry discussions. Google declined to comment, and O’Callahan referred inquiries to his blog. His resignation adds to growing internal dissent about AI’s trajectory, though he emphasized he does not believe warnings are driven by financial or competitive motives.
The story so far
2 episodes →- Google DeepMind engineer quits over AI speed and superintelligence risksthis story
A Google employee said he quit because he's worried about superintelligent AI
businessinsider.com · 25 September 2026Loading the full article…
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