This Former DeepMind Exec Thinks the AI Arms Race Could End in Disaster
Verity Harding tells WIRED that the US government’s nationalistic attitude toward AI is evidence that a worst-case scenario is taking shape.
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Joel KhaliliBusinessJul 8, 2026 5:30 AMThis Former DeepMind Exec Thinks the AI Arms Race Could End in DisasterVerity Harding tells WIRED that the US government’s nationalistic attitude toward AI is evidence that a worst-case scenario is taking shape.Photo-Illustration: WIRED Staff; Getty ImagesCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyReports of an artificial intelligence arms race are everywhere—even in this very publication. But what if that framing is fundamentally dangerous?That’s Verity Harding’s conceit. Between 2016 and 2020, Harding spent her days briefing politicians across the globe, from Barack Obama to Emmanuel Macron, on advances in AI.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at WIRED.