Recent calls by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman for slower development of advanced AI models have unsettled financial markets. AI-linked equities, which helped drive recent highs in global markets, have sold off, with the Nasdaq 100 and chipmakers declining as investors reassess the pace of AI infrastructure investment. Bloomberg identified the development as a key market catalyst, especially for chip suppliers and other companies closely tied to AI capital spending. Prediction markets (platforms that price future-event probabilities) now assign only a 1.8% chance that Anthropic will reach a $600 billion valuation by December 31, 2026. The pricing reflects weaker confidence in the growth assumptions supporting AI investments and concern that slower development could affect Anthropic’s expansion and valuation prospects. Investors will monitor further statements or policy changes from Anthropic and OpenAI, as well as new funding rounds, strategic partnerships, investment decisions by Amazon and Google, AI infrastructure spending and regulatory actions.