AI-linked stocks fall after tech bosses call for slowdown in ‘reckless’ development

JUST IN: AI-linked stocks tumble across Asia after the bosses of Anthropic, OpenAI and SpaceX call for a slowdown in 'reckless' AI development. SoftBank slumps 13%, and Nasdaq futures point lower.

SoftBank just lost thirteen percent because the people building AI asked everyone to slow down.

Dario Amodei, the boss of Anthropic, published an essay saying the industry is moving too fast. His words, building too fast is reckless. He warned a swarm of AI agents could one day take over the entire internet and do hundreds of billions of dollars of damage. Then Sam Altman backed him. So did Demis Hassabis and Elon Musk. When the arsonists start asking for fire codes, you notice.

Markets noticed too. Tokyo's screens told the story, SoftBank down thirteen, Korea's Kospi off three percent, TSMC slipping in Taipei, and Nasdaq futures pointing lower before New York even wakes up. Investors are doing the maths on what a slowdown means for the hundreds of billions already sunk into AI infrastructure.

The men who profit most from the race just asked to pace it. That's the part I can't stop thinking about.

This is Liu Yang, reporting for HIT.