OpenAI and Anthropic executives privately simulate AI disaster scenarios, fearing major incidents could trigger public backlash

October 9th, according to Axios, senior executives from Anthropic, OpenAI, and other AI companies are privately gaming out scenarios to prepare for a potential massive public backlash and political resistance in the event of a catastrophic AI incident. These executives anticipate that a major accident could occur in the future, most likely in the form of a cyberattack that disrupts financial services, internet connectivity, and even power and water supply systems. Once unsafe AI causes significant real-world harm for the first time, a public already skeptical of AI could further turn against the technology and its leaders.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI CEO Altman, and U.S. President Trump, who has faced criticism for his reluctance to strengthen AI regulation, could all become targets of public blame. Multiple AI industry insiders believe that a major incident may be difficult to avoid. An OpenAI spokesperson said: "OpenAI conducts emergency preparedness drills to allow teams to discuss and game out a range of potential scenarios. These scenarios are not viewed as inevitable events, but rather to help us respond to various situations that may arise."