But regardless of the public dispute between Baker and Amodei, there is one thing in particular on which everyone seems to agree: the fact that in just a few years, presumably (almost) all diseases can be treated (cured). And setting aside all the disagreements, this positive statement alone is reason enough to be filled with joy and excitement, especially among people who are otherwise rather reserved and skeptical.

Cancer will be completely curable in a few years.

Amodei "(...) and showing why I think it will actually be possible to cure most human disease in ~5-10 years, as crazy as it may sound to ordinary people and frankly to biologists as well (I used to be one!).

(...)

And, if you read my most recent essay (Policy on the AI Exponential), I discuss concrete proposals for how to streamline the FDA process to make sure the deluge of AI-accelerated drugs isn't slowed down by the regulatory process.

(...)

The causes of this go back decades and AI is just the latest iteration of it. I don't think that a glitzy marketing campaign with a positive spin (which some have advocated that Anthropic do) is the way to win back that trust - at this point, saying that AI will cure cancer is more a cliche than it is inspiring, and most people think it is deceptive.

The thing that will work is actually curing cancer. I think by far the most accurate criticism of AI companies including Anthropic is that we haven't yet delivered on our big promises to benefit the world.

We are however doing our best to fix this: Anthropic is ramping up its efforts very quickly in biology and medicine, and we hope to have incredible results in the coming years and some early glimmers in the coming months.

When we've actually accomplished something real, the whole world will hear about it, as loudly as possible, you have my word on that. But until then I don't want to make empty promises, and in the meantime I feel compelled to speak honestly about the very real risks of AI and how to address them."