AI Safety Concerns Pressure Stock Futures Before Market Open

US stock futures dropped on Sunday evening as investors reacted to a new essay from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. He argued that the industry must slow the pace of AI development to prioritize safety. This call for caution comes shortly after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman signaled that an IPO is not on the table for this year due to similar concerns.

The market mood reflects these warnings, with Nasdaq 100 futures sliding 1.2 percent. S&P 500 futures fell 0.6 percent, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipped 0.4 percent. These moves follow a difficult week for equities, as the Dow recently posted its largest weekly decline since March.

Traders are now looking toward the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting, where there is an 85 percent probability of a rate hike. With no major earnings reports due on Monday, the focus remains entirely on the AI narrative and central bank policy. If the current pressure holds, AI stocks that drove this year's market gains may face a rough start to the trading week.