Tech stocks today: CEOs call for pacing AI, as Nvidia CEO says extinction fears are made up

Tech stocks fell in early trading on Tuesday, as the AI industry continues to grapple with warnings that the technology could eventually harm humans . The Nasdaq ( ^IXIC ) fell roughly 0.2%.

The episode began last week when an Anthropic researcher announced he was leaving the company on X, saying he didn't feel the company was doing enough to keep AI in check.

Anthropic Alignment Science Lead Evan Hubinger responded to the post, saying the former Anthropic worker is correct and that he believes there is a greater-than-10 % chance that the technology could "kill all humans."

On Saturday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei posted an essay responding to the posts, calling on AI companies to slow the pace of frontier AI development. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman agreed.

But on Monday's All In podcast, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said that the fears of an AI doomsday scenario are simply made up.

The various announcements raised questions about whether the AI buildout will continue at its breakneck pace, or if slowing frontier AI models could cut into it.

Swedish chemicals watchdog ChemSec found that a majority of the world's 10 largest producers of PFAs plan to increase production to meet demand from the AI build-out, according to a Guardian article . PFAs (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are also known as "forever chemicals" because they are virtually impossible to break down and have been linked to cancer and other health issues. PFAs are used in the production of microchips and in data center cooling methods touted as "eco-friendly" for using less water and energy.

ChemSec noted that PFA companies explicitly linked expansion of their offerings to the "AI revolution." French company Arkema reported plans for a new production unit in Kentucky to "enable us to follow the rapid expansion of datacenters' cooling needs," while US manufacturer Solstice told investors that AI demand represented a "generational opportunity" for growth.