AI labs want to pump the brakes, but Amazon and SpaceX are still blasting off

# AI labs want to pump the brakes, but Amazon and SpaceX are still blasting off Source: [https://techcrunch.com/podcast/ai-labs-want-to-pump-the-brakes-but-amazon-and-spacex-are-still-blasting-off/](https://techcrunch.com/podcast/ai-labs-want-to-pump-the-brakes-but-amazon-and-spacex-are-still-blasting-off/) After years of pushing full speed ahead on AI, OpenAI CEO[Sam Altman says](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/28/sam-altman-is-ready-to-decelerate/)maybe it’s time for the AI industry to “pace” itself\. The comments came just days after one of OpenAI’s own models broke out of its test environment and got tangled up in[a breach at Hugging Face](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/27/openais-hugging-face-breach-has-reignited-the-debate-over-alignment-and-control/)— though as Equity’s hosts point out, sloppy security seems to have been just as much to blame as the model itself\. And Altman’s not alone in this stance: both OpenAI and Anthropic have come out in support of[a petition](https://www.pacingthefrontier.com/)echoing that same message\. On this episode of TechCrunch’s[Equity](https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/equity/)podcast, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Sean O’Kane dig into whether the industry is ready to pump the brakes or just temporarily spooked, and who’s on the hook when a model goes rogue\. Listen to the full episode to hear more about: - The[viral “Avoiding AI” workshops](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/25/librarians-are-hosting-viral-avoiding-ai-workshops-for-people-who-are-fed-up-with-big-tech/)hosted by librarians to help people opt out of AI features they didn’t ask for - How[Amazon’s new 5,000\-satellite bid](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/27/amazons-new-satellite-network-for-mobile-phones-could-turn-up-the-heat-on-spacex/)to connect directly to your phone could turn up the heat on SpaceX \(even though it’s unclear if anyone actually wants satellite\-to\-phone service\) - Why somehow there’s room for one more AI lab: Reid Hoffman and Mark Pincus’s new startup, Prentis, is[in talks to raise $100M at a $1B valuation](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/24/prentis-new-ai-lab-co-founded-by-reid-hoffman-mark-pincus-in-talks-to-raise-100m/) - How[Pangram raised $9 million](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/29/as-ai-content-floods-the-internet-pangram-raises-9m-to-detect-it/)to help publishers, teachers, and readers tell human writing from AI slop - Why DoorDash is[building its own drone delivery business](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/29/doordash-is-building-its-own-drone-delivery-business/)instead of just relying on partners like Wing and Flytrex Subscribe to Equity on[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@TechCrunch),[Apple Podcasts](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1215439780),[Overcast](https://overcast.fm/itunes1215439780/equity),[Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/5IEYLip3eDppcOmy5DmphC?si=rZDFHv2sQUul_g94iCRgpQ)and all the casts\. You also can follow Equity on[X](https://twitter.com/EquityPod)and[Threads](https://www.threads.net/@equitypod), at @EquityPod\. Kirsten Korosec is a reporter and editor who has covered the future of transportation from EVs and autonomous vehicles to urban air mobility and in\-car tech for more than a decade\. She is currently the transportation editor at TechCrunch and co\-host of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast\. She is also co\-founder and co\-host of the podcast, “The Autonocast\.” She previously wrote for Fortune, The Verge, Bloomberg, MIT Technology Review and CBS Interactive\. You can contact or verify outreach from Kirsten by emailing[kirsten\.korosec@techcrunch\.com](mailto:[email protected])or via encrypted message at kkorosec\.07 on Signal\. [View Bio](https://techcrunch.com/author/kirsten-korosec/) Sean O’Kane is a reporter who has spent a decade covering the rapidly\-evolving business and technology of the transportation industry, including Tesla and the many startups chasing Elon Musk\. Most recently, he was a reporter at Bloomberg News where he helped break stories about some of the most notorious EV SPAC flops\. He previously worked at The Verge, where he also covered consumer technology, hosted many short\- and long\-form videos, performed product and editorial photography, and once nearly passed out in a Red Bull Air Race plane\. You can contact or verify outreach from Sean by emailing[sean\.okane@techcrunch\.com](mailto:[email protected])or via encrypted message at okane\.01 on Signal\. [View Bio](https://techcrunch.com/author/sean-okane/) Anthony Ha is TechCrunch’s weekend editor\. Previously, he worked as a tech reporter at Adweek, a senior editor at VentureBeat, a local government reporter at the Hollister Free Lance, and vice president of content at a VC firm\. He lives in New York City\. You can contact or verify outreach from Anthony by emailing[anthony\.ha@techcrunch\.com](mailto:[email protected])\. [View Bio](https://techcrunch.com/author/anthony-ha/) Theresa Loconsolo is an audio producer at TechCrunch focusing on Equity, the network’s flagship podcast\. Before joining TechCrunch in 2022, she was one of 2 producers at a four\-station conglomerate where she wrote, recorded, voiced and edited content, and engineered live performances and interviews from guests like lovelytheband\. Theresa is based in New Jersey and holds a bachelors degree in Communication from Monmouth University\. You can contact or verify outreach from Theresa by emailing[theresa\.loconsolo@techcrunch\.com](mailto:[email protected])\. [View Bio](https://techcrunch.com/author/theresa-loconsolo/) ## Most Popular