A long new essay by Anthropic CEO, Dario Amodei is drawing wide attention for how it frames the coming impact of artificial intelligence on society. Titled “The Adolescence of Technology,” the 20000 word piece argues that AI will soon “test who we are as a species” as humanity gains access to unprecedented power without clear proof that its systems are ready to manage it.
Published on Amodei’s personal blog, the essay quickly gained traction across social media. Many of its warnings are familiar. For years, Amodei has spoken about AI risks ranging from bioweapons development and loss of human control to job disruption and growing concentration of wealth. In this essay, he repeats those concerns, often using sharper language and shorter timelines. This has led most headlines to focus on the dangers he outlines rather than what he proposes next.
Anthropic is widely known for prioritising AI safety, an approach that has also helped it win enterprise customers. As detailed earlier by a business magazine, many safety measures taken by the company have made its models more reliable and controllable, traits valued by large organisations. In that sense, the essay also reinforces Anthropic’s market positioning. Amodei repeatedly highlights the AI “constitution” behind its Claude model, describing it as a key tool for reducing risks such as bioterrorism or loss of control, and as a point of difference from rivals like OpenAI, Google, Meta, and xAI.
The most newsworthy part of the essay lies in Amodei’s proposed solutions. He argues that wealthy individuals must help society absorb AI driven economic shocks. He says Anthropic’s cofounders have pledged to donate 80% of their wealth, while employees have committed billions of dollars in company shares to charity, matched by the firm. He criticises tech leaders who dismiss philanthropy as meaningless. Amodei also urges companies to prioritise innovation over pure cost cutting, to redeploy displaced workers, and even to consider paying employees beyond traditional economic value. He calls for progressive taxation on AI profits, warning billionaires that rejecting fair redistribution risks facing “a bad version designed by a mob.”
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