Anthropic’s AI systems could lead to catastrophe or entirely wipe out humanity, it has warned as it seeks billions of dollars to keep building them .

The company gave the warning in newly released documents ahead of its initial public offering, which will see it listed on the stock market in what could be a record breaking deal. The documents pitch investing in the company as a way to bet on AI’s transformation of the world – but warns, at the same time, that it could destroy it.

In a long list of potential dangers for the company, it warns that its systems could “pose catastrophic or existential risks to humanity, particularly if such systems were misused, replicated, weaponised, or allowed to operate with a high degree of autonomy”.

The IPO documents point to a whole range of ways that Anthropic’s systems could pose a threat.…