Michael Burry criticizes OpenAI, Anthropic safety warnings as IPO hype

Michael Burry, the hedge fund manager who became a household name by betting against the US housing market before the 2008 financial crisis, has a new target: the AI industry’s safety narrative. On September 14, Burry posted on X that recent calls from leaders at OpenAI and Anthropic to slow down AI development are “self-serving,” designed to benefit incumbents, generate IPO hype, and paper over genuine growth problems. His core argument is blunt: large language models are not true artificial intelligence and will never become artificial general intelligence, so there’s nothing dangerous enough to justify pumping the brakes. The contrarian’s case against AI safety theater Burry’s skepticism lands at a particularly charged moment. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei recently published an essay advocating for measured advancement of AI capabilities, a position that drew public support from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk. Several high-profile AI researchers have also resigned from major labs in recent months, citing concerns about existential risks. The market apparently took the safety warnings seriously, though. AI-related stocks declined on September 14, with the sell-off rippling thro...