Startups will continue to deploy dangerous AI tech even after hyperscalers voluntarily pause it.
Predictor: Ben Horowitz · ep#232 "Ben Horowitz: xAI Executive Exodus, Apple's AI Crisis, The Pace of AI | EP #232" · source
Prediction text
Startups will continue to deploy dangerous AI tech even after hyperscalers voluntarily pause it. | so far, you know, bite dance is like Google, they have to be cautious and conscientious. They can't just But then every time this happens, a small startup then does it again right after, you know, they don't care because they're a startup.
Verbatim quote
so far, you know, bite dance is like Google, they have to be cautious and conscientious. They can't just But then every time this happens, a small startup then does it again right after, you know, they don't care because they're a startup.
Predictor: Ben Horowitz
Evidence about this node from Ben Horowitz is multiplied by κ in /api/intake. Lower κ = less weight; floors at 0.10 (effectively silenced) and caps at 1.00 (full weight).
Reference class
This node isn't linked to a reference class. The Bayesian update applies without outside-view blending.
Probability over time
Milestone chain
- 2025-02-03hitHyperscaler announces voluntary capability moratorium or red-lineHow: Meta, Google, OpenAI, or Anthropic publicly states it will not release a class of AI capability deemed too risky (e.g., Meta high-risk/critical-risk framework)Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/03/meta-says-it-may-stop-development-of-ai-systems-it-deems-too-risky/conf 95%Notes: HIT - Meta's Frontier AI Framework explicitly carves out high-risk/critical-risk classes it will not release. Sets the baseline pause behavior.
- 2026-04-01 → 2027-06-30pendingOpen-source startup releases capability hyperscaler refused to shipHow: Independent reporting documents an open-source / startup release of an AI capability (image gen, voice cloning, autonomous code agent, etc.) that a major lab had previously withheld for safetySource: https://whatllm.org/blog/new-ai-models-april-2026 - Anthropic Mythos held while open-source closes 6-12 month gapconf 80%Notes: Amodei explicitly forecasts open-source matching withheld capabilities within 6-12 months.
- 2026-04-01 → 2027-12-31pendingChinese / non-US lab releases model with capability US labs withheldHow: ByteDance, DeepSeek, Alibaba, or other non-US lab ships a model whose capability set was previously gated by US frontier labsSource: https://medium.com/@marc.bara.iniesta/q1-2026-the-frontier-ai-field-is-splitting-b5b7f6a49ba9conf 65%Notes: Direct fit for the prediction's ByteDance vs hyperscaler dynamic.
- 2026-06-01 → 2027-12-31pendingFederal/state enforcement action against startup for unsafe AI deploymentHow: FTC, state AG, or DOJ files action against an AI startup for deploying capability hyperscalers had withheld (deepfakes, CSAM, autonomous weapons)Source: https://www.theregreview.org/2026/02/26/champagne-president-trump-targets-state-based-ai-regulations/conf 55%
What if this resolves?
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Evidence chain
Network propagation neighbors
Top incoming (parents)
Edges that influence THIS node's belief
| Kind | Node | Their prob | P(c|s=T) | P(c|s=F) | Δ implied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| prereq | 234_012 Anthropic revenue will cross OpenAI revenue in middle of 202 — Peter Diamandis | 67.1% | 0.550 | 0.050 | -0.076 |
| prereq | SEM_042 2025 will be the definitive year that agentic systems finall — Kevin Weil | 73.8% | 0.550 | 0.050 | -0.044 |
| killer | TK03 AI Regulatory Moratorium (EU/US Capability Freeze) | 10.0% | 0.050 | 0.550 | +0.042 |
| prereq | 235_002 Anthropic will exceed OpenAI in revenue this year (2026). — Dave Blundin | 74.6% | 0.550 | 0.050 | -0.040 |
| prereq | SEM_012 Nvidia quadrupled chip production output while only doubling — Jensen Huang | 75.0% | 0.550 | 0.050 | -0.037 |
Top outgoing (children)
Predictions THIS node influences
| Kind | Node | Their prob | P(c|s=T) | P(c|s=F) | Δ implied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| prereq | CMQ_002 By 2028, AI systems will reach 'independent researcher' leve — Sam Altman | 31.4% | 0.550 | 0.050 | -0.038 |
| prereq | 241_043 ASI will arrive within 2 years to 5 years to this next decad — Peter Diamandis | 35.9% | 0.650 | 0.050 | -0.038 |
| prereq | 235_030 Ray Kurzweil predicts Longevity Escape Velocity (LEV) by 203 — Ray Kurzweil | 39.2% | 0.750 | 0.050 | -0.027 |
| prereq | 232_055 We're exiting the industrial age permanently as recursive se — Peter Diamandis | 35.5% | 0.700 | 0.050 | -0.012 |
| prereq | SEM_034 True artificial general intelligence will be achieved betwee — Demis Hassabis | 28.7% | 0.550 | 0.050 | -0.012 |
Ticker exposure
Beneficiaries (23)
Adverse (6)
Prerequisites (12)
| Type | Pred | Title | Domain | Lag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| prereq | 234_012 | Anthropic revenue will cross OpenAI revenue in middle of 2026 | Markets/Stocks | — |
| prereq | 235_002 | Anthropic will exceed OpenAI in revenue this year (2026). | AI | — |
| prereq | SEM_008 | Training runs costing $10 billion for a single model will commence sometime in 2025. | AI | — |
| prereq | SEM_042 | 2025 will be the definitive year that agentic systems finally hit the mainstream. | AI/Agents | — |
| prereq | SEM_012 | Nvidia quadrupled chip production output while only doubling human headcount — achieved by deploying AI coding tools (Cursor, Claude Code) across engineering. | AI/Manufacturing | — |
| correlate | S_AGI_MID_2029 | AGI mid: Kurzweil 2029 path | agi_general_capability | — |
| correlate | S_AGI_FAST_2027 | AGI fast: drop-in remote worker by 2027-09 | agi_general_capability | — |
| correlate | S_AGI_SLOW_2031 | AGI slow: Schmidt/Hassabis 5-10 year path | agi_general_capability | — |
| correlate | S_AGI_WINTER_2036PLUS | AGI delayed: capability plateau or AI winter | agi_general_capability | — |
| killer | TK14 | Superbubble Pop (S&P 500 -40%, Moonshot Capital Evaporates) | — | — |
| killer | TK01 | AGI Capability Plateau (2026-27 Training Stall) | — | — |
| killer | TK03 | AI Regulatory Moratorium (EU/US Capability Freeze) | — | — |
Dependents (5)
| Type | Pred | Title | Domain | Lag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| prereq | 235_030 | Ray Kurzweil predicts Longevity Escape Velocity (LEV) by 2033. | Biotech/Longevity | — |
| prereq | 232_055 | We're exiting the industrial age permanently as recursive self-improvement unfolds. | AI | — |
| prereq | 241_043 | ASI will arrive within 2 years to 5 years to this next decade | AI | — |
| prereq | CMQ_002 | By 2028, AI systems will reach 'independent researcher' level — driving autonomous scientific discoveries without human intervention. | AI | — |
| prereq | SEM_034 | True artificial general intelligence will be achieved between 2032 and 2042 — 'first we solve AI, then use AI to solve everything else'. | AI/AGI | — |
Raw metadata
{
"nia": false,
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1GLT9_tag0",
"mode": "PREDICTION",
"role": "Guest-VC",
"context": "So, so far, you know, bite dance is like Google, they have to be cautious and conscientious. They can't just But then every time this happens, a small startup then does it again right after, you know, they don't care because they're a startup.",
"to_year": 2028,
"verbatim": "so far, you know, bite dance is like Google, they have to be cautious and conscientious. They can't just But then every time this happens, a small startup then does it again right after, you know, they don't care because they're a startup.",
"conv_cues": "every time this happens",
"direction": "HAPPEN",
"from_year": 2026,
"timeframe": "recurring / ongoing",
"conv_level": "HIGH",
"milestones": [
{
"kind": "prereq",
"label": "Nvidia quadrupled chip production output while only doubling human headcount — achieved by deploying AI coding tools (Cursor, Claude Code) a",
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"label": "Training runs costing $10 billion for a single model will commence sometime in 2025.",
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},
{
"kind": "llm_pre_event",
"label": "Hyperscaler announces voluntary capability moratorium or red-line",
"notes": "HIT - Meta's Frontier AI Framework explicitly carves out high-risk/critical-risk classes it will not release. Sets the baseline pause behavior.",
"source": "https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/03/meta-says-it-may-stop-development-of-ai-systems-it-deems-too-risky/",
"status": "hit",
"weight": 0.4,
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"confidence": 0.95,
"source_url": "https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/03/meta-says-it-may-stop-development-of-ai-systems-it-deems-too-risky/",
"expected_date": "2026-07-02",
"observed_date": "2025-02-03",
"research_origin": "deep_research",
"expected_date_range": {
"to": "2026-12-31",
"from": "2026-01-01"
},
"measurement_criterion": "Meta, Google, OpenAI, or Anthropic publicly states it will not release a class of AI capability deemed too risky (e.g., Meta high-risk/critical-risk framework)"
},
{
"kind": "llm_pre_event",
"label": "Open-source startup releases capability hyperscaler refused to ship",
"notes": "Amodei explicitly forecasts open-source matching withheld capabilities within 6-12 months.",
"source": "https://whatllm.org/blog/new-ai-models-april-2026 - Anthropic Mythos held while open-source closes 6-12 month gap",
"status": "pending",
"weight": 0.4,
"ordinal": -3,
"source_id": null,
"confidence": 0.8,
"source_url": "https://whatllm.org/blog/new-ai-models-april-2026",
"expected_da
... (truncated)