Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang said on Thursday that warnings about artificial intelligence wiping out humanity were cheap attempts to grab headlines.
Huang spoke at a conference his company held in Berlin, Germany. The visit was the last stop of his European tour, IOL reported.
“When you say that it will be the end of the human civilisation, first of all, it’s not true,” Huang told the conference.
He said such claims create headlines, but called them “made up” and “cheap”. He urged the world to approach AI with “responsible optimism”.
“If you care about the future, past our own lives, if we care about the future of sustainability, this is the perfect time, build AI,” he said.
During the tour, Nvidia pledged nearly $10 billion in investments in Europe’s tech sector. The company also urged Europe, which is behind in the AI race, to move faster.
Huang’s comments come amid a heated debate about whether AI poses a risk to human survival. The debate grew after AI systems got around controls during tests.
In September 2026, researcher Jacob Coxon resigned from Anthropic. He accused AI developers of “gambling with our lives” by racing towards self-improving AI.
Anthropic researcher Evan Hubinger estimated a more than 10% chance that AI could kill all humans within ten years. Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei has called for development to slow down.
IOL reported that these risk estimates are disputed and are not established predictions. Nearer concerns include false information, cybercrime and the misuse of AI for biological attacks.
US regulators are seen as unlikely to step in. President Donald Trump opposes strict rules on the technology.
At the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok, Thailand, officials said AI has helped drive global growth. They also warned that the boom carries economic risks.
The International Monetary Fund said spending on data centres and microchips helped soften the shock of higher energy prices. Those prices rose because of war in the Middle East.
IMF chief economist Silvana Tenreyro said global trade rose 8.3% between 2023 and 2025. She said it would have been closer to 4.6% without AI products.
“It is everywhere in the global economy,” Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem said on Friday.
US Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh called AI the “most consequential change” to the global economy in his lifetime. He warned that the road ahead would be “bumpy”.
IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva told AFP that any slowdown in the AI industry “would be felt across the world”.
“If there is loss of confidence and money runs away from AI, that can lead to financial stability risks,” Georgieva said.
An IMF report projected that a drop in AI investment could cut global GDP by 0.4% by 2028.
Economists at Moody’s Analytics warned that a long Middle East conflict could “puncture” the AI boom. They said higher energy prices and interest rates could raise costs for AI companies.
Speaking in Bangkok on Friday, Georgieva linked regulation to future investment. “If there are no safeguards, then the risks may exceed the opportunities,” she said.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL. Image: IOL. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Technology desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Werner Jacobs covers technology for Tzaneen Voice. Werner reports on mobile networks, data prices, internet access, smartphones, apps, AI, cybersecurity and South African tech companies. Each story explains what a new product, price change or policy means for ordinary users in South Africa.