ARK Invest founder Cathie Wood backed a slowdown pledge from three AI leaders but dismissed warnings that advanced systems could wipe out humanity as “ridiculous.”
Key Points:
- Wood said open discussion of AI risks could help the industry address problems earlier, even as she rejected the most extreme warnings.
- ARK funds hold Tesla, SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic, giving the firm exposure to companies directly involved in the safety debate.
- She said cybersecurity deserves more attention as AI capabilities advance.
Cathie Wood View
Reuters reported Wood’s comments from a Sydney briefing on Sept. 15, after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei urged leading developers to slow the pace of capability gains. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk quickly backed Amodei’s position, while Wood described the broader push as positive for the technology’s development.
Wood said she was “happy that the leaders of the industry are advertising the risks associated with this new technology,” drawing on her experience during the technology and telecom bubble. “Half of the solution is understanding the problem,” she said. She rejected claims that AI could kill everyone, calling that view “ridiculous.”
Wood said the debate could still be useful even if she disagrees with its most severe premise, because it can redirect attention toward security problems around increasingly capable systems. “It gives us a great opportunity to focus the world on cybersecurity in this space,” she said, without outlining specific threats or who should fund additional protections.
Also Read: OpenAI And Anthropic Backed AI Slowdown, China's Moonshot And Deepseek Said No Thanks
Amodei Risk Debate
Wood’s comments carry an added investment dimension because ARK holds Tesla, SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic across public and private funds. The investment link is direct. She did not say whether the slowdown pledge changed how ARK values those holdings.
Global AI stocks fell Monday, while Asian markets struggled Tuesday as investors reassessed chip and AI companies that had helped drive equity markets higher. No single cause was established for those moves.
The slowdown pledge arrived alongside broader questions about whether the sector can sustain rapid spending and growth expectations, while Anthropic reportedly prepares for an Oct. public listing.
That makes the debate more immediate for investors.
Wood tied her stance to the technology and telecom bubble, which ended in a bust after a period of intense investor enthusiasm. Her argument is that openly identifying risks can help markets and companies respond earlier, even when she believes the most extreme AI warnings go too far.
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