TechCrunch Panel Debates Whether AI Labs Will Truly Slow Down
In the latest episode of the TechCrunch Equity podcast, Anthony Ha, Kirsten Korosec, and Sean O'Kane examined the pledge by AI leaders to decelerate advancements, a sentiment echoed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk, following a blog post from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei advocating for a "pacing of the frontier." At the All-In Summit, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang dismissed concerns over AI as a fabrication, reminiscent of Donald Trump's remarks. Korosec highlighted a proposal for independent evaluators in AI firms and global safety collaboration, which faced considerable resistance. O'Kane pointed out the vague nature of the proposal and the federal government's hesitance to implement regulations. Ha voiced doubts regarding the sincerity of efforts to slow down progress. This episode was released on September 20, 2026.
Key facts
- Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published a plan to "pace the frontier" of AI development.
- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang publicly echoed President Donald Trump's claims that AI backlash is a hoax and regulation is unnecessary.
- Huang took a call from Trump while on-stage at the All-In Summit.
- The plan includes independent third-party evaluators inside companies like Anthropic or OpenAI to monitor AI safety practices and incidents.
- It also proposes coordination among major AI companies in democratic countries on safety standards and limits, plus international coordination.
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk expressed some support for the slowdown idea.
- Sean O'Kane said the plan lacks specifics on risks and what slowing down means, and that companies aren't structured for a slowdown.
- Kirsten Korosec warned that consensus could be the start of a cartel and called Huang's appearance staged, noting Nvidia benefits from unpaced AI progress.
- Anthony Ha noted Amodei and Altman prefer the word "pace" over "slowdown," and that the proposals don't explicitly require slower development.
- O'Kane said the federal government seems unwilling to enforce regulations and that consumer choice is limited due to enterprise lock-in and investment cushioning.
- The TechCrunch Equity podcast episode was published on September 20, 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Dario Amodei
- Jensen Huang
- Donald Trump
- Sam Altman
- Elon Musk
- Kirsten Korosec
- Sean O'Kane
- Anthony Ha
- Satya Nadella
- Matt Mullenweg
Institutions
- Anthropic
- Nvidia
- OpenAI
- TechCrunch
- Equity podcast
- Microsoft
- All-In Summit
- Equity
- Automattic
- WordPress
- May Mobility
- DoorDash
- Wonder
- YouTube
- Apple Podcasts
- Overcast
- Spotify
- X
- Threads
Locations
- California
- United States