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What the AI race can learn from a historic pause in scientific research

Some of the leaders of the artificial intelligence race are calling for a slowdown, for safety’s sake.

Viewed in economic terms, it’s a collective action problem: No one wants to slow down unless everyone does, for fear of being left behind.

Planet Money has a story of a time when biologists solved a similar conundrum: the Asilomar conference of scientists who figured out how to pause their race on gene editing until safety practices could be implemented.

Nick Fountain from NPR’s Planet Money reports.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR

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