Why AI Companies Are Really Pumping the Brakes on Their Models

A Computerworld analysis examines the wave of calls to 'slow down' AI from leaders of Anthropic, OpenAI, and xAI. The author argues the real motives are not safety but saving on R&D, eliminating competitors, and hiding lack of profit: per a McKinsey survey, 80% of employees report productivity gains from AI, but only 37% of companies see it in revenue.

• Amodei, Altman, and Musk called to slow frontier model development for safety
• 80% of McKinsey respondents report AI productivity gains, but only 37% of companies see profit impact
• No frontier company shows real profit despite financial hype
• Chinese and open-source AI developers have no plans to stop