Existential threats join bubble fears as AI mood sobers at Singapore forums
“Existentialandfinancial risksposed by the artificial intelligence (AI) boom were top of mind for investors and policymakers at twoconferences in Singaporeon Wednesday, highlighting a cautious shift i…”
Concerns that once centred on frothy valuations have broadened into awide swathe of fears, including autonomous systems slipping out of human control, AI-designed bioweapons and the possibility that massive spending on the technology may never pay off. "Anyone who tells you I've got absolute control over my autonomous agent... obviously doesn't know what he's talking about.
So loss of control is a real threat," Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said at the Milken Institute Asia Summit. "There is a revolution going on in AI, in biotech, and in energy. "At#MIGlobal.
Asia Summit 2026 today, Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Singapore spoke about how capital, tech innovation, and trade are reshaping Asia's economic future. Watch all session…pic.twitter.com/ek8rd. Bcu.
"Stay connected with Aman-e-Pakistan for ongoing live reporting and verified investigative updates."
Rb— Milken Institute (@Milken. Institute)October 7, 2026Last month, the heads of leading US AI labs came together in arare show of unityto call for slowing the technology's development, warning it could soon improve on its own and slip beyond human control.
Read:Bill Gates warns AI is powerful enough to 'cause a billion deaths'Claude maker Anthropicplans to caution potential investors in its IPOthat advanced AI could pose "catastrophic or existential risks to humanity,"Reutersreported last week.
Balakrishnan said on Wednesday the risk of state and non-state actors using the technology to build new weapons, "whether it's in chemistry or biology or in weapons of mass destruction, is very real.
"Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founder and chairperson of Indian biopharmaceutical firm Biocon, said that while AI was a force for good, bad actors could use it to design new viruses or pathogens. "The real existential threat is bioterrorism," she said at the.
ForbesGlobal CEO Conference, calling for guardrails and governance. "I don't think self-governance is going to work. "Bubble worries linger.
Investors' faith in the AI tradehas propped up the stock market even as higher energy prices and episodic routs in the bond market have pushed borrowing costs in major economies to multi-decade highs. But worries over how long the AI rally could last and what it means for global markets have persisted.
Read More:AI risk warnings rattle global markets"If the AI narrative is unwound because of safety issues, regulation or because, as we go through 2027, end users don't see sufficient ROI (return on investment), there could be issues," said Rohit Sipahimalani, chief investment officer at Singapore state investor Temasek. "The biggest risk to the market is the AI narrative.
Right now, it seems very strong," Sipahimalani said at the Milken Institute event. Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio was less sanguine, saying AI was in a "classic bubble" and there was a difference between "how terrific a technology is and how terrific an investment is.
"He event that rising rates and changing circumstances had not "yet harmed other things," but that there was pressure for interest rates to rise further. Once higher rates began to bite, the bubble would start to burst, Dalio said.
"I think we're close to that. "
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