Huang Rejects Amodei’s Dire Predictions, Advocates for Open AI Development
- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang sharply disagrees with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s views on AI, criticizing his belief that AI is too dangerous and costly for anyone but a select few to develop.
- Huang challenges Amodei’s prediction that AI will automate half of entry-level office jobs, emphasizing that while some roles may change, new opportunities will emerge.
- Advocating for transparency, Huang insists that safe and responsible AI development must happen in the open, not behind closed doors, while also highlighting Nvidia’s advancements in European AI infrastructure and quantum computing.
In the fast-evolving world of artificial intelligence, a public feud between two industry heavyweights has captured attention. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has come out swinging against Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, expressing profound disagreement with the latter’s outlook on AI’s future. Speaking at a press briefing during VivaTech in Paris, Huang didn’t hold back, stating he “pretty much disagree[s] with almost everything” Amodei has recently claimed about the trajectory of AI technology. This clash isn’t just a personal spat; it reflects fundamentally different philosophies about how AI should be developed, who should control it, and what its impact on society will be.
Huang’s critique of Amodei boils down to three core issues. First, he accuses Amodei of viewing AI as so inherently dangerous that only a select few—presumably companies like Anthropic—should be trusted to build it. Second, Huang takes issue with the notion that AI development is so prohibitively expensive that it should be limited to a handful of players. And third, he disputes Amodei’s grim forecast that AI’s power will inevitably lead to massive job losses, particularly in entry-level white-collar roles, which Huang sees as a justification for restricting who gets to innovate in this space. “If you want things to be done safely and responsibly, you do it in the open,” Huang argued passionately. “Don’t do it in a dark room and tell me it’s safe.”
Anthropic, founded in 2021 by Amodei and other ex-OpenAI employees, has positioned itself as a champion of AI safety, a mission reportedly born from disagreements over safety culture at their former workplace. Amodei has been vocal about the existential risks AI could pose, warning that humanity might one day lose control of systems smarter than ourselves. He’s also highlighted dangers like rogue actors using AI to create bioweapons or orchestrate cyberattacks. More recently, in an interview with Axios, Amodei predicted that within five years, AI could automate up to 50% of entry-level office jobs, urging policymakers to act now to safeguard livelihoods. It’s this prediction that seems to have particularly irked Huang, who dismissed it as overly alarmist. “Everybody’s jobs will be changed. Some jobs will be obsolete, but many jobs are going to be created,” Huang countered, pointing to historical trends where increased productivity often leads to more hiring, not less.
In response to Huang’s comments, an Anthropic spokesperson clarified to Fortune that Amodei has never claimed only Anthropic should build powerful AI. Instead, they emphasized that Amodei advocates for a national transparency standard for all AI developers, including Anthropic, to ensure the public and policymakers are informed about models’ capabilities and risks. The spokesperson also reaffirmed Amodei’s concerns about AI’s economic impact on jobs, a position he intends to stand by. This rebuttal suggests that while Huang may see Amodei’s stance as exclusionary, Anthropic views its mission as one of broader accountability.
Beyond the war of words, Huang’s appearance at VivaTech offered a glimpse into Nvidia’s own ambitions, which stand in stark contrast to Anthropic’s cautionary tone. Fresh off Nvidia’s GTC Paris conference, Huang announced a partnership with French startup Mistral to bolster European computing capacity, promising over 20 “AI factories” across the continent to address GPU shortages for researchers and startups. This move underscores Nvidia’s commitment to democratizing access to AI tools, aligning with Huang’s belief in open development. He also touched on Nvidia’s quantum computing efforts, spotlighting their hybrid quantum-classical platform, CUDA-Q, and declaring that quantum tech is at an “inflection point” poised to tackle real-world problems in the coming years. This optimism about technology’s potential to solve rather than disrupt paints a very different picture from Amodei’s warnings.
This debate between Huang and Amodei isn’t just about predictions or business strategies; it’s about the soul of AI’s future. Huang’s vision is one of inclusivity and progress, where transparency ensures safety and innovation creates opportunity. Amodei, on the other hand, seems driven by a sense of urgency to mitigate risks, even if it means sounding the alarm on job displacement or advocating for stringent oversight. As AI continues to reshape industries and societies, the tension between these perspectives—openness versus caution—will likely define the path forward. For now, Huang’s parting shot at VivaTech leaves no doubt about where he stands: AI’s promise is too great to be locked away in a “dark room,” and he’s determined to keep the lights on for everyone.