AI ethicist Tristan Harris has warned that humanity is roughly halfway through a process of losing control over artificial intelligence, according to a report from TMZ published Wednesday.
Harris, a prominent critic of the tech industry, made the comments in a recent interview covered by TMZ. He argued that society has already ceded significant ground to AI systems and is now at a midpoint where reversing course remains possible but increasingly difficult.
The report, also picked up by Yahoo, frames Harris’s remarks as a stark assessment of where AI development currently stands. Harris did not specify a timeline for the remaining half of the transition, but his warning suggests that without intervention, the balance of power between humans and machines will continue to shift.
Additional coverage from USA Herald highlights a more specific concern raised by Harris: the potential for AI to interfere with nuclear weapons systems. According to that outlet, Harris pointed to war games and simulations that expose how AI-driven escalation could spiral out of human control. The implication is that automated decision-making in high-stakes military contexts poses a unique and urgent danger.
Harris has long been a vocal advocate for regulating AI, co-founding the Center for Humane Technology and appearing in the documentary “The Social Dilemma.” His latest remarks add to a growing chorus of experts who worry that the pace of AI deployment is outstripping safeguards.
The convergence of these reports suggests Harris is amplifying two intertwined messages: that humanity is losing its grip on AI generally, and that the most catastrophic risks—such as nuclear conflict—demand immediate attention.
What to watch next is whether policymakers respond to such warnings with binding rules or continue to rely on voluntary commitments from AI developers.
