Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella backs ‘slowing down' the pace of AI development; calls for measured approach

Amid growing chatter around slowing down the development of artificial intelligence (AI) models following Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's lengthy post and a warning from former researcher Jacob Coxon, who said the technology "could kill us all", Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has joined the debate and called for a measured approach. In a post on X on Sunday (local time), Nadella wrote, "Any pursuit of superintelligence has to be grounded in the core principle that if the AI we build is not helping humanity and under human control, it's not worth pursuing." He added, "We also need to accelerate and spread the benefits of AI, such that they are diffused broadly across countries, communities, and companies. This requires a frontier ecosystem in which both closed and open-source models can thrive." The Microsoft CEO also noted that AI companies should have full control over their unique and tacit knowledge. He added, "Every organization should be able to build its own continuous learning loop/hill climbing machine, without becoming dependent on any one model provider, and have the ability to embed its own knowledge into models and weights they control." Elaborating on the idea that companies should be able to build their own learning machines, Nadella noted that Microsoft welcomes the research, focus and deliberate pacing necessary to get alignment correct as the design goal. He added that the company also welcomes ideas such as "embedded evaluators" and broader efforts to develop mechanisms to make this more than just talk. He further stated that the development of AI should not be controlled by a handful of entities, but should instead have broad representation across the ecosystem, countries and fields, including academia. Nadella's post and backing come days after the CEOs of Anthropic and OpenAI publicly acknowledged the risks associated with the fast-paced development of AI. Last week, Dario Amodei published an essay titled "We Must Pace The Frontier", in which he extensively highlighted the risks, the reasons behind his changing stance, and what the industry can do to ensure the technology does not endanger humans. Following his essay, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman took to his X account and voiced support, adding that the ChatGPT maker is planning to implement Amodei's proposed safeguards. A similar call was made by SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who, in a separate post, stated that he had been warning about AI risks since 2023. While industry leaders have called for slowing down the pace, US President Donald Trump dismissed concerns over growing AI risks. Speaking to reporters in Ireland on 13 September, he said, "Look, we’re leading China in AI … and, frankly, I want to keep it that way, because whoever wins AI wins." Trump went on to say, "We can put guardrails, we can do this and that, but I think you have a lot of negative forces that are bringing it up that shouldn’t be bringing it up, and they’re bringing up things that won’t happen." Swati Gandhi is a digital journalist with over four years of experience, specialising in international and geopolitical issues. Her work focuses on foreign policy, global power shifts, and the political and economic forces shaping international relations, with a particular emphasis on how global developments affect India. She approaches journalism with a strong belief in context-driven reporting, aiming to break down complex global events into clear, accessible narratives for a wide readership.<br><br> Previously, Swati has worked at Business Standard, where she covered a range of beats including national affairs, politics, and business. This diverse newsroom experience helped her build a strong grounding in reporting, while also strengthening her ability to work across both breaking news and in-depth explanatory stories. Covering multiple beats early in her career has helped her be informed about her current work, allowing her to connect domestic developments with wider international trends.<br><br> At Live Mint, she focuses on international and geopolitical issues through a business and economic lens, examining how global political developments, foreign policy decisions, and power shifts impact markets, industries, and India’s strategic and economic interests.<br><br> She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English (Honours) from the University of Delhi and a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. Her academic training has shaped her emphasis on precision, analytical rigour, and clarity in writing. Her interests include global political economy and the intersection of geopolitics with business.<br><br> Outside work, Swati focuses on exploring her passion and love for food. From fancy cafes to street spots, Swati explores food like a true foodie. Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates. Oops! Looks like you have exceeded the limit to bookmark the image. Remove some to bookmark this image.