Lonsdale Slams AI Firms for Using Fear to Shape Regulation

Joe Lonsdale, an investor in Anthropic and co-founder of Palantir, has criticised leading artificial intelligence companies for what he describes as a dangerous attempt to influence public policy by amplifying fears about existential risks. Speaking at an AI event in Austin, Lonsdale took aim at figures associated with Anthropic and OpenAI who fund third-party organisations advocating stricter industry rules. He argued that such efforts could allow a small group of dominant developers to dictate oversight and entrench their market power.

"I think that what OpenAI and Anthropic are pushing right now is very dangerous, and we don't want an oligopoly that controls all of our policy here with the government," Lonsdale said. He added that while safety concerns are legitimate, fear and regulation must be handled with care.

The comments come as industry leaders, including Anthropic chief Dario Amodei, OpenAI head Sam Altman, and SpaceX's Elon Musk, have called for moderating the pace of advanced AI development, warning that inadequate safeguards could pose severe risks to humanity.

Despite his criticism of the broader regulatory push, Lonsdale praised Anthropic, calling it an industry leader with exceptional talent. "It's very hard for anyone to second-guess the highest-performing company in the world over the last few years," he said. "I'm proud to be an investor in Anthropic."

Lonsdale also discussed modern warfare, noting that companies backed by his firm, such as defence developer Anduril, are seeing commercial opportunities from battlefield adaptations in Ukraine. "We're partnering very closely with them. A lot of our companies work with their companies," he said, adding that some of his portfolio companies may acquire firms there.

On autonomous weapons, Lonsdale stressed that ultimate accountability must remain with human military commanders rather than automated systems. "There's always a person responsible who is in charge of whatever system they studied, worked on and approved," he said, cautioning against outside judgment in the fog of war.

While his name has surfaced in discussions about senior Pentagon roles amid a leadership reshuffle, Lonsdale said his focus remains on his businesses and community. "Obviously, if a President calls you and asks something of you, you should consider it. But my focus right now is on building my businesses and my community," he said.