Plus: Anthropic blocked AI misuse tied to biological weapons research; Fidji Simo joins Nscale board ahead of IPO
Welcome to a Saturday edition where the biggest headline is actually about taking our foot off the gas.
SAFETY
⏸️ OpenAI weighs a slower AI development pace
OpenAI is reportedly considering slowing down the development of advanced artificial intelligence. CEO Sam Altman told employees that OpenAI could potentially pace its development and hopes other AI companies will do the same.
The details:
OpenAI has sought legal guidance on whether a coordinated slowdown among major labs would violate U.S. antitrust law.
OpenAI reportedly paused training on one of its models for two weeks following a safety incident.
OpenAI is said to still be holding back its main reinforcement-learning training run.
🛡️ Anthropic blocked AI misuse tied to biological weapons research
Anthropic said it blocked efforts by bad actors to use its AI models for malicious activity such as cyberattacks, surveillance, and research that could have led to biological weapons.
The details:
Anthropic said it added stronger safeguards in its latest models to restrict biological research that could also be used to make weapons.
Anthropic's report was its third since March 2025 describing AI misuse.
Between December 2025 and August 2026, researchers at Anthropic found misuse by actors ranging from spyware vendors and politically motivated individuals to state-sponsored groups spreading propaganda.
Nscale has appointed former OpenAI, Meta, and Instacart executive Fidji Simo to its board. Simo joins high-profile tech executives Sheryl Sandberg, Susan Decker, and Nick Clegg on Nscale’s board.
The details:
Simo was formerly CEO of AGI deployment at OpenAI, essentially the No. 2 executive at the AI lab.