Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this exclusive interview, Axios co-founder Mike Allen sits down with Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark to discuss his warning that by 2028, AI systems may be able to improve and build better versions of themselves.
Clark explains why Anthropic is preparing for the possibility of an “intelligence explosion,” how advanced AI could accelerate breakthroughs in science and medicine, and why governments, companies and researchers need new plans for cyber threats, bio risks, economic disruption and the future of work.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction: the future of AI
00:41 - The 2028 prediction: AI building itself
01:49 - The risks of rapid acceleration
03:11 - The 3D printer metaphor
05:21 - Intelligence explosion and fire drill scenarios
06:55 - Building a "defense-dominant" world
07:40 - Working with the Pentagon and administration
10:11 - Economic disruption vs. abundance
12:35 - Career advice for the AI era
15:05 - Cold War analogies and geopolitics
16:30 - AI sycophancy and behavioral changes
18:06 - The challenge of AI trust
19:19 - The Anthropic Institute's mission
20:25 - The Anthropic Economic Index
23:47 - Partnership with xAI and compute limits
24:18 - Defining the "jagged frontier"
Read Anthropic’s research agenda: anthropic.com/research/anthropic-institute-agenda
In this exclusive interview, Axios co-founder Mike Allen sits down with Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark to discuss his warning that by 2028, AI systems may be able to improve and build better versions of themselves.
Clark explains why Anthropic is preparing for the possibility of an “intelligence explosion,” how advanced AI could accelerate breakthroughs in science and medicine, and why governments, companies and researchers need new plans for cyber threats, bio risks, economic disruption and the future of work.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction: the future of AI
00:41 - The 2028 prediction: AI building itself
01:49 - The risks of rapid acceleration
03:11 - The 3D printer metaphor
05:21 - Intelligence explosion and fire drill scenarios
06:55 - Building a "defense-dominant" world
07:40 - Working with the Pentagon and administration
10:11 - Economic disruption vs. abundance
12:35 - Career advice for the AI era
15:05 - Cold War analogies and geopolitics
16:30 - AI sycophancy and behavioral changes
18:06 - The challenge of AI trust
19:19 - The Anthropic Institute's mission
20:25 - The Anthropic Economic Index
23:47 - Partnership with xAI and compute limits
24:18 - Defining the "jagged frontier"
Read Anthropic’s research agenda: anthropic.com/research/anthropic-institute-agenda
