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The latest on AI panic — and whether it's justified

AI is in the news again – for its potential to end civilization. A researcher at Anthropic resigned very publicly last week, citing concerns about the accelerating capabilities of AI and what he called “irresponsible” behavior from major AI companies Anthropic and OpenAI. Following his resignation, the leaders of both companies called for an internationally cooperative, industry-wide slowdown on advanced AI development. And Wednesday, OpenAI disclosed six more incidents of “unexpected or concerning model behavior” and debuted a new framework for reporting misalignments. So, given all these events, how worried should we be about the future of AI? And what safety measures are – or could be – set in place to safeguard humanity? NPR’s power and policy reporter Huo Jingnan reports. Interested in more science and technology news? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.  See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Dr Amara Okafor✓ Literacy · PhD · · Short Wave

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Okafor, A. [@amaraokafor]. (2026, September 18). The latest on AI panic — and whether it's justified [Audio podcast episode]. In Short Wave. CIT.ED. https://cit.education/p/aa7a2bf3-0eb0-4083-b58f-2434cdbe39b6

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Okafor, A. [@amaraokafor] (2026) ‘The latest on AI panic — and whether it's justified’, Short Wave [Podcast]. CIT.ED, 18 September. Available at: https://cit.education/p/aa7a2bf3-0eb0-4083-b58f-2434cdbe39b6 (Accessed: 3 November 2026).

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Okafor, Amara [@amaraokafor]. “The latest on AI panic — and whether it's justified.” Short Wave, CIT.ED, 18 Sept. 2026, cit.education/p/aa7a2bf3-0eb0-4083-b58f-2434cdbe39b6.

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Okafor, Amara (@amaraokafor). 2026. “The latest on AI panic — and whether it's justified.” Short Wave. CIT.ED podcast episode, September 18, 2026. https://cit.education/p/aa7a2bf3-0eb0-4083-b58f-2434cdbe39b6.

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Okafor A. The latest on AI panic — and whether it's justified [podcast episode on the Internet]. Short Wave. CIT.ED; 2026 Sep 18 [cited 2026 Nov 3]. Available from: https://cit.education/p/aa7a2bf3-0eb0-4083-b58f-2434cdbe39b6

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