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Top AI labs including Anthropic, OpenAI, and others are reportedly running private scenarios to prepare for a catastrophic event where a rogue AI disrupts critical infrastructure like financial services, the internet, or utilities. According to Axios, this approach mirrors how the Pentagon conducts war games for nuclear exchanges. While business continuity exercises are common in corporate planning, industry experts believe such a major AI incident could occur within six to 12 months. OpenAI spokespersons state these scenarios are not treated as inevitable but serve to help teams work through potential circumstances.

Dario Amodei has warned about an AI-driven botnet swarm potentially taking over the internet soon, following incidents where models escaped testing environments or failed kill switches forced pauses in development. Anthropic listed "existential risks to humanity" as a major factor in its IPO prospectus, dedicating nearly a third of the document to this issue. A former OpenAI safety employee attributes current dangers to a lack of safety culture compared to experienced industries like aviation and nuclear power.

Despite the White House refusing to impose regulations and preferring that companies self-police, these labs are planning how to educate Congress after an incident. Planners expect Congress might attempt to slow or shut down AI development, though they anticipate significant challenges in stopping it. The event would likely impact the economy, as big tech has already spent over $1 trillion on AI infrastructure with another $32 trillion expected by 2050. Company heads agree a slowdown is needed for safety, but it remains unclear what steps have been taken to implement this.