AI researchers turn extinction warnings into absurd resignation memes

A wave of humorous resignation announcements has emerged on X, parodying a former Anthropic researcher's warning about AI extinction. Jacob Coxon, a former Anthropic and OpenAI researcher, sparked the trend by resigning with a dire warning about the AI race. He accused both companies of racing toward self-improving superintelligence, risking human lives. Dozens of users have since adopted Coxon's format, substituting existential threats with absurd workplace scenarios. Jae Holzman, a Heatmap reporter, resigned from Acme Corporation, joking about 'self-painting fake tunnel technology,' a nod to Looney Tunes. Designer Isha Taghvaei used lyrics from Natasha Bedingfield's 'Unwritten,' while Alan Rice referenced 'A Horse With No Name.' Kabir Sethi adapted the template for crypto, warning of 'seamless global trading of any asset.' The trend highlights real fears about AI risks, with Coxon predicting human extinction by the end of the decade. Evan Hubinger, Anthropic's alignment stress testing lead, supports this, estimating a greater-than-10% chance of AI causing human extinction within the next decade. Geoffrey Hinton and Toby Ord also acknowledge significant risks, with Ord placing the risk at one in 10 by 2100. Meanwhile, other professionals have humorously warned about their own existential workplace dangers, such as self-closing books and self-organizing workspaces.