Palantir CTO Criticizes Silicon Valley’s AI Optimism Over Cancer Claims

Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar criticized what he described as Silicon Valley’s excessive faith in artificial intelligence, citing researchers who allegedly smoke to signal their belief that AI will soon cure cancer.

Sankar made the remarks Oct. 11 during an interview. He did not identify the researchers or provide a number or source for the claim.

The interview also presented poll figures showing that 50% of respondents believed AI would create more problems than it solves, while 29% expected it to solve more problems. Another 45% of Americans said they wanted the government to limit AI’s use and development.

Sankar said the technology industry has a responsibility to show that AI can create jobs and prosperity. He argued that regulation should focus on how AI is used, including oversight by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) when the technology is applied to medicine.

He also criticized effective altruism, a movement that uses evidence and analysis to guide charitable decisions. Sankar described its influence in AI safety circles as a combination of apocalyptic thinking and a savior complex, and identified FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried as one of its best-known U.S. examples.

Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev responded to the discussion in an Oct. 12 post on X, writing, “Hearing more and more AI researchers are taking up smoking … superintelligence is near.”

Sankar said both warnings that AI could destroy humanity and visions of an AI-created utopia can give too much authority to an imagined machine intelligence. He argued that responsibility should remain with the companies that build AI systems and the users who misuse them.