Joe Lonsdale, an investor in Anthropic and co-founder of Palantir, said efforts by leading artificial intelligence companies to highlight existential risks from AI could improperly influence public policy. Speaking at the Reuters Momentum AI Austin event, Lonsdale criticized what he described as efforts by people close to Anthropic and at OpenAI to fund outside groups advocating tougher regulation. He said such rules could allow a small group of dominant companies to shape industry policy and preserve their market power. Lonsdale said safety concerns were legitimate but urged caution in responding with fear-driven regulation. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and SpaceX head Elon Musk have each called this month for leading AI companies to slow development of their most advanced models, citing potential existential risks if safeguards fail to keep pace. Lonsdale, who is also the founder of venture capital firm 8VC, praised Anthropic's talent and position despite his criticism and said he was proud to be a small investor. He also said defense technology companies he has backed, including Anduril, would likely pursue acquisitions of Ukrainian defense companies after more than four years of war with Russia. On autonomous weapons, Lonsdale said military leaders must remain accountable for systems they approve, an issue highlighted by the war in Ukraine and a strike on a girls' school in Minab, Iran, during the US-Iran war early this year. Iranian officials said more than 175 children and teachers were killed, while a preliminary US military investigation, as reported by Reuters, found US forces were likely responsible and cited outdated targeting intelligence. Lonsdale, who has been mentioned as a possible senior Pentagon leader, said he would consider a request from a President but was currently focused on his family, businesses and community. The Pentagon has experienced senior leadership turmoil, and Reuters reported this month that the White House had reviewed potential replacements for Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg.