Academic Emma Pierson argues AI development should be slowed, claiming societal risks outweigh breakthroughs like curing cancer

Original post

"If curing cancer were the only result of building ever more powerful AI systems, I would cheer for their arrival.

But the problem is that their impacts are much broader, and we are moving too quickly to ensure that these impacts are positive."

my brilliant sister, @2plus2make5

The Atlantic@TheAtlantic

Emma Pierson could directly benefit if AI cured cancer. Yet, she writes, as a professor of AI who was once mentored by Anthropic’s co-founder, she’s rooting for AI progress to slow down. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/06/ai-cancer-progress/687654/?taid=6a38151347689a0001d6426a&utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_content=true-anthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

11:13 AM · Jun 21, 2026 · 11.7K Views

VIEWS52.7KBOOKMARKS54LIKES651RETWEETS33REPLIES87

Matthew Berman@MatthewBerman

Psychopath

4h52.7K65154

Emma Pierson@2plus2make5

New piece in @TheAtlantic!

We always hear that AI will cure cancer, and I would immediately benefit if it did. But I argue that racing ahead on generalist AI models creates unclear benefits for cancer that are outweighed by broader societal harms.

(Gift link in next post)

3h5.7K5511

Gary Marcus@GaryMarcus

@leah_pierson @2plus2make5 great essay, and see also:

22h1.8K133

Marc Andreessen 🇺🇸@pmarca

Did cancer write this?

1h48.4K1.4K54

Matt Wolfe@mreflow

@MatthewBerman Does she have kids? Imagine the twist on the headline if she did… “I’d rather risk my kids getting cancer than see AI move this fast.”

Switch the headline to focusing on others instead of yourself and it sounds batshit crazy.

3h55213

Jon Gabriel@exjon

@pmarca I am at chemo right now. If AI can shorten my next appointment, I’m ready to sign up.

1h358181

Rand@rand_longevity

@MatthewBerman "id rather die than see ai move this fast"

3h61022

Alex Volkov@altryne

1) what

58m42580

Matthew Berman@MatthewBerman

@mreflow Agreed. Might be the most selfish headline I’ve ever seen. Shame.

3h40711

Matthew Berman@MatthewBerman

@downtownberlin Not in the slightest

4h2564

Matthew Berman@MatthewBerman

@rand_longevity not only would she rather die, she'd rather everyone else dies as well.

3h1833

Kyle Balmer@iamkylebalmer

@MatthewBerman the subtext here is wanting EVERYONE else to risk cancer

4h2666

Requiescus@requiescus

@TheStuze @downtownberlin @MatthewBerman What do you hate about 'AGI'? I think that the idea that these AIs are generally intelligent rather than just intelligent in one domain is important, though I don't like how the term is used as if it were a benchmark.

2h19

Emma Pierson@2plus2make5

Gift link: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/06/ai-cancer-progress/687654/?gift=yDcMMOSj-3oJk8475KVVBne5CfZXWcmKJJrUAGArmLA&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

Emma Pierson@2plus2make5

New piece in @TheAtlantic!

(Gift link in next post)

3h38060

Shaun Ralston@shaunralston

@MatthewBerman is this a parody? wtf?

4h2495

Matthew Berman@MatthewBerman

@shaunralston Sadly it is not

4h2774

Justine Moore@venturetwins

@pmarca Incredible reason to not want to save millions of lives

1h2554

Georg S. Kuklick@downtownberlin

@MatthewBerman Why? Isn’t it a fair point?

4h2174

Matthew Berman@MatthewBerman

@iamkylebalmer She thinks it’s best for humanity 🫠

4h2943

Dan Holbrook@DanHolbrook

@pmarca AI is inevitable. You can panic about it and fall behind, or you can do what humans have always done when new tools show up. Adapt, learn, and use it to win.

1h2511