Artificial intelligence is evolving into the fastest-growing product category in human history, moving at an unprecedented pace. Some of the most recent models are so powerful that their creators are choosing not to release them to the general public. At the same time, companies like OpenAI and Anthropic state that their most advanced models in the field of programming have reached the point of "building" themselves. Meanwhile, transparency decreases as the power of these systems increases, while the federal government fails to impose meaningful accountability requirements.
On the social front, concern is quickly turning into rage: in early April, the San Francisco residence of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was attacked twice within the same week. Altman himself, visibly shaken, publicly admitted that "fear and anxiety surrounding AI are justified" and warned that "power must not be overly concentrated." The consequences are no longer theoretical. Within a few weeks, the software market lost approximately $2 trillion in value as investors gradually realized how many human jobs—from programming to legal services and financial management—are threatened by these new models.
Why it matters
If a year ago the message was addressed mainly to business leaders, today it concerns society as a whole. Data, the technology itself, and the people creating it warn that a force of exponential growth has been unleashed, which few understand—especially those in positions of power. The situation is reminiscent of the dawn of the atomic age. As then, a technology with immense potential—both creative and destructive—gives rise to scenarios ranging from utopias to apocalyptic outcomes.
A significant part of the public debate on AI moves within this spectrum. Viral texts in recent years describe either pro-democracy revolutions on an interplanetary scale or extreme scenarios where artificial intelligence turns against humanity. Although these scenarios are likely exaggerated, no one—neither political leaders nor the heads of the companies themselves—can state with certainty that they are incorrect.
The big picture
Where this path leads remains unknown. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that without better leadership, cooperation, and understanding, societies, workers, universities, and governments are unprepared for these developments. Within this context, six critical realities emerge:
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Anthropic is recording the fastest business growth in US history, with an explosive increase in revenue within just one year.
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The company has developed a model, Claude Mythos Preview, so powerful that it does not intend to release it to the general public, limiting access to a few organizations for safety reasons.
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Artificial intelligence is now used to create new AI. At Anthropic, almost all code is written by AI, while similar practices are followed at OpenAI.
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As the power of models increases, transparency regarding their operation decreases, according to recent academic reports.
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Social reactions are escalating, with attacks targeting key figures in the industry.
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In a period of just 10 weeks, AI caused $2 trillion in losses in the software market, hitting the first major sector of activity.
Sam Altman's statements
A few hours after the attack on his residence, Sam Altman published a text in which he openly acknowledged the criticality of the situation:
"The fear and anxiety around AI are justified." "AI must be democratized—power cannot be overly concentrated." "We are in the process of the greatest social change in a long time, perhaps in history." "We are all learning something new very quickly—and we will often need to revise our views as technology evolves."
We have been warned
The man leading the most widely used AI product in history publicly admits that concerns are valid—and that no one knows for sure the direction of developments. In a "normal" industry, each of these developments would be the business event of the decade. Collectively, however, within just a few weeks, they outline a technology whose development, power, and risks have surpassed public understanding—and whose own creators are sounding the alarm.
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