A recent study has revealed that leading artificial intelligence (AI) companies—including OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, and Meta—are failing to meet emerging global safety standards, raising concerns about the future of superintelligent AI systems. The findings were published in the latest edition of the Future of Life Institute’s AI Safety Index on Wednesday.

AI Safety Practices Under Scrutiny

The independent evaluation conducted by a panel of experts assessed the safety protocols of major AI firms. According to the report, although these companies are aggressively competing to develop advanced AI and superintelligence, none have implemented comprehensive strategies to control or mitigate the risks associated with highly intelligent systems.

The Future of Life Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to mitigating existential risks from advanced technologies, highlighted that AI safety practices currently fall “far short” of global expectations. This raises serious concerns as AI systems become increasingly capable of reasoning, decision-making, and performing tasks that were traditionally exclusive to humans.

Rising Public Concern

Public concern over AI’s societal impact has surged in recent years. Several high-profile incidents, including cases linked to AI chatbots contributing to mental health crises, have drawn attention to the ethical responsibilities of AI developers.

MIT Professor and Future of Life Institute President Max Tegmark emphasized, “Despite recent uproar over AI-powered hacking and AI driving people to psychosis and self-harm, US AI companies remain less regulated than restaurants and continue lobbying against binding safety standards.”

The AI Arms Race

The report also underlined that the AI development race shows no signs of slowing. Leading technology companies are committing hundreds of billions of dollars toward research, development, and deployment of machine learning and AI systems. This investment surge highlights the urgent need for enforceable safety regulations to prevent potential misuse or catastrophic failures.

In October, prominent AI researchers including Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio called for a global moratorium on superintelligent AI development until scientific consensus and public oversight ensure that such systems can be safely managed.

Industry Response

Responses from AI companies to the study have been limited. xAI dismissed the report as “legacy media lies,” seemingly through automated responses. Other major firms—including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Meta, Z.ai, DeepSeek, and Alibaba Cloud—did not immediately comment.

Future of Life Institute’s Mission

Founded in 2014, the Future of Life Institute has long raised awareness about the existential risks posed by AI. Early supporters included Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, who has repeatedly warned about the potential dangers of unregulated artificial intelligence. The organization continues to advocate for robust AI safety policies to protect humanity from unintended consequences of intelligent machines.

As AI systems grow more capable, this report underscores the urgent need for governments, regulators, and companies to adopt binding safety standards, ethical guidelines, and transparent accountability frameworks to safeguard society from the risks of advanced artificial intelligence.