AI week in quotes: Altman doubts Moltbook and snaps at Anthropic

Cybersecurity experts have repeatedly warned about the risks of using Moltbot, while Sam Altman called Anthropic’s Super Bowl ads “dishonest.”

An open-source AI assistant, Moltbot, later rebranded as OpenClaw, remained one of the most discussed developments in the industry.

​Moltbook, a Reddit-style social media platform for AI agents, was in the spotlight; however, concerns about an AI takeover of the world were quickly dismissed by findings suggesting that people, not AI agents, may have been behind calls for a “total purge.”

Moltbot: the future or cybersecurity nightmare?

Altman, founder and CEO of OpenAI, expressed scepticism about Moltbook but appears optimistic about the future of Moltbot-like AI agents.

Moltbook maybe (is a passing fad), but OpenClaw is not. This idea that code is really powerful, but code plus generalized computer use is even much more powerful, is here to stay.

Sam Altman

Meanwhile, piling evidence of Moltbot’s security vulnerabilities triggered numerous warnings from cybersecurity experts. Collin Spears, a senior director of product management at Black Duck Software, told Cybernews that users need to exercise caution with AI tools.

Any AI tool that can read your email and execute commands on your behalf needs the same caution you’d give to a stranger asking for your house keys. If the tool doesn’t explain exactly what it can access and who else might see it, don’t install it.

Collin Spear

Altman lashes out at Anthropic’s Super Bowl ads

Anthropic, the owner of Claude, has released a series of Super Bowl ads mocking upcoming adverts to AI, weeks after OpenAI announced them on ChatGPT.

Anthropic’s ads feature a person asking for advice from another individual, who speaks in a chatbot-like style and starts advertising goods or services.

Altman called the ads funny but dishonest, saying OpenAI’s principle for ads is that they won’t do exactly what is envisioned in Anthropic’s videos.

I guess it’s on brand for Anthropic doublespeak to use a deceptive ad to critique theoretical deceptive ads that aren’t real, but a Super Bowl ad is not where I would expect it.

Sam Altman

“AI is moving at the speed of light”

The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres has warned about the extremely fast pace of AI development, emphasizing the need for adequate safeguards.

AI is moving at the speed of light. We need shared understandings to build effective guardrails, unlock innovation for the common good, and foster cooperation.

António Guterres

Guterres’ concerns were echoed by the Dutch privacy and data protection authority, which said that organizations often deploy generative AI too easily, without considering the consequences for people and society.

Moreover, the regulator warned that GenAI shouldn’t fall into the hands of a few large American tech companies, as increasingly tense relations with the US have led European capitals to rethink their digital dependence on US companies.

This increases European dependence and puts pressure on our digital autonomy. This is happening in a context of major geopolitical shifts, with economic integration increasingly being used as a means of exerting pressure.

The Dutch privacy and data protection authority

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