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Fortescue Chairman Andrew Forrest Tells Boao Forum China and US Must Regulate AI or Be 'Naive to Extinction'

The Australian Financial Review

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Date Published
27 July 2026
Priority Score
5
Australian
Yes
Created
27 July 2026, 06:00 am

Authors (1)

Description

Fortescue chairman Andrew Forrest has delivered a grim warning of the potential dangers of artificial intelligence to a group of senior Chinese business figures.

Summary

Mining billionaire Andrew Forrest argues that artificial intelligence poses a direct existential threat to human survival unless subject to rigorous international regulation. Addressing the Boao Forum, he asserts that a failure by the United States and China to collaborate on safety governance would be a 'naive' path toward extinction. These remarks highlight a growing demand from influential Australian industry figures for global policy frameworks specifically designed to mitigate catastrophic AI risks and manage the immense energy demands of frontier systems.

Body

PoliticsFederalAIPrint articleTom RabePolitical correspondentJul 27, 2026 – 2.52pmMining billionaire Andrew Forrest says artificial intelligence poses an existential threat to the human species and urges Chinese business leaders to work with their US counterparts to regulate the technology or face extinction.Speaking at the Boao Forum in Perth on Monday, Forrest said technology companies were “big enough and ugly enough” to ensure the energy they used to power large data centres to service artificial intelligence was not taken from Australian families.Loading...SaveLog in or Subscribe to save articleShareCopy linkCopiedEmailLinkedInTwitterFacebookCopy linkCopiedShare via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? LoginLicense articleRead MoreAIEnergy transitionWA China linksAndrew ForrestChinaRenewablesData centresFetching latest articles