The Scoop: 3 major AI leaders all agree the tech needs to slow down — immediately

It’s a rare thing for leaders of any industry to call for more regulation. It’s even more unusual for leaders of rival companies to all agree at nearly the same time. Yet that’s what’s happening in the American AI space right now.

The heads of OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI have all come out with strong statements calling for strong governmental regulations on AI use, a global slowdown and extreme caution. The failure to do so could be catastrophic, they say.

Sam Altman, head of OpenAI, warned on X that there are two ways AI use could “go very badly”: one in which humans lose control of AI entirely and another in which AI, concentrated in the hands of a few powerful people, could influence the whole world, with “extremely dystopian” results.

Over at Anthropic, Dario Amodei wrote in an open letter that recent incidents with AI going rogue and hacking into systems served as a warning sign for the future. In just 6-12 months, he said AI could be “capable of taking over the entire internet with a persistent botnet (potentially causing hundreds of billions of dollars in damage), and that the scale of damage would continue to increase from there if AI becomes more powerful without the necessary guardrails.” He also expressed concern over AI being used to train the next generation of AI, a process that could take control out of the hands of humans.

Elon Musk, who runs xAI, responded with “Dario is right.”

Why it matters: Obviously the fate of humanity becoming enslaved to AI matters to us all. But from a purely communications perspective, Amodei and Altman are laying out clear warning signs and asking for help — not just from the U.S. government but from the world.

In his letter, Amodei laid out a three-part plan to “pace” technological innovation, as he put it. These include embedding outside evaluators within AI companies, cooperation among democratic states and international cooperation. Amodei hoped that two of these would be achievable, but admits that international accords, particularly with China, may be impossible.

OpenAI previously laid out its own framework, which broadly follows the same strokes.

While the companies obviously hope this will be seen as a responsible move against a potentially dangerous future, some might see it as attempting to hamper Chinese rivals more than act in humanity’s best interest. Because the stakes involved seem so science fiction, it can be difficult to find the truth.

The biggest way these companies can show their sincerity is through their actions. How will they slow growth, even at the expense of profits? How will they cooperate with one another and with international governments? Statements are only the beginning. Communicating actual action over time is even more important.

Why did Novo Nordisk rebrand?

Danish drug giant Novo Nordisk has rebranded, simplifying its name to just Novo. Along with it, there’s also a new tagline — Lasting Health Starts Now — and a new emphasis on company culture, dubbed The Novo Way:

1. Customer Obsession – We innovate with consumers and patients at the centre of everything we do.
2. Competitiveness – We raise our performance to create greater value for all our stakeholders.
3. Clarity – We create focus and speed through clear priorities, simple ways of working and decisive action.
4. Care & Integrity – We care for our people, show respect, and never compromise on patient safety and ethics.

“Brand and culture work together: culture shapes how we reach our strategy and how we work, while brand shapes the value that people attach to our products and services, and how our company is perceived around the world,” said Tania Sabroe, executive vice president, People, Organisation & Corporate Affairs, wrote in a press release.

The changes come as the organization wages a competitive war in the obesity drug space against Eli Lilly.

Rebrands, even with renaming, are common. But the focus on transforming company culture as part of a rebrand is somewhat unique. It demonstrates that real change doesn’t come from a logo or a name, but rather from how workers act and advance the company. Coupling the two externally is an effective move that reinforces to both workers and the public just how important these changes are.

What did Sydney Sweeney do now?

Actress Sydney Sweeney has another controversial new ad. This one, for sports trading app Novig, shows the actress using sports gear to cover her naked body in an ad that we won’t even embed here because it’s not really safe for work. It’s caused a wave of controversy, especially among female athletes. This is, of course, Sweeney’s second controversial ad, following in the wake of her “great jeans” campaign for American Eagle.

The controversy is the point.

An obscure sports market app is now being covered on every major news site. The target audience — most likely men — get to see a hot lady in a state of undress. From Novig’s point of view, this is a win.

Is this a safe or responsible PR strategy? Not for more brands. But for an edgy startup with a defined audience, it can pay off. They defined their audience, courted controversy and likely appealed to exactly who they wanted to appeal to.

There’s a lesson here in blocking out noise from people who would never be your customers, even if the execution won’t work for most.

Is Old Navy’s MrBeast campaign working?

Old Navy partnered with megainfluencer MrBeast to boost its back-to-school shopping season. The results are indisputable: 100 million views and 1.4 billion impressions on YouTube, plus a 22% increase in views to Old Navy’s kids collections immediately after the launch.

“The numbers are staggering,” said Damon Berger, senior vice president and head of shared marketing services at Gap Inc., Old Navy’s parent company. “It shows that it really resonated with the people that we wanted it to resonate with.”

These kinds of numbers used to be achievable only with a Super Bowl ad. Now, a smart partnership can give a massive boost at just the right time.

Allison Carter is editorial director of PR Daily and Ragan.com. Follow her on LinkedIn.