A former safety researcher at OpenAI said he is “pretty terrified” about the pace of development in artificial intelligence, warning the industry is taking a “very risky gamble” on the technology.

Steven Adler expressed concerns about companies seeking to rapidly develop artificial general intelligence (AGI), a theoretical term referring to systems that match or exceed humans at any intellectual task.

Adler, who left OpenAI in November, said in a series of posts on X that he’d had a “wild ride” at the US company and will miss “many parts of it”.

However, he said the technology was developing so quickly it raised doubts about the future of humanity.

“I’m pretty terrified by the pace of AI development these days,” he said. “When I think about where I’ll raise a future family, or how much to save for retirement, I can’t help but wonder: will humanity even make it to that point?”

Some experts, such as Nobel prize winner Geoffrey Hinton, fear that powerful AI systems could evade human control with potentially catastrophic consequences. Others, such as Meta’s chief AI scientist, Yann LeCun, have played down the existential threat, saying AI “could actually save humanity from extinction”.

According to Adler’s LinkedIn profile, he led safety-related research for “first-time product launches” and “more speculative long-term AI systems” in a four-year career at OpenAI.

Referring to the development of AGI, OpenAI’s core goal, Adler added: “An AGI race is a very risky gamble, with huge downside.” Adler said no research lab had a solution to AI alignment – the process of ensuring that systems adhere to a set of human values – and that the industry might be moving too fast to find one.

“The faster we race, the less likely that anyone finds one in time.”

Adler’s X posts came as China’s DeepSeek, which is also seeking to develop AGI, rattled the US tech industry by unveiling a model that rivalled OpenAI’s technology despite being developed with apparently fewer resources.

Warning that the industry appeared to be “stuck in a really bad equilibrium”, Adler said “real safety regs” were needed.

“Even if a lab truly wants to develop AGI responsibly, others can still cut corners to catch up, maybe disastrously.”

Adler and OpenAI have been contacted for comment.