Palantir CTO Says AI Researchers Are Taking Up Smoking, Betting AI Will Cure Cancer, Warns of 'Mass Psychosis'

WASHINGTON — Palantir Technologies' chief technology officer says some artificial intelligence researchers have started smoking to show their peers how strongly they believe the technology will cure cancer, an anecdote he used to criticize what he called a "mass psychosis" surrounding AI in Silicon Valley.

Shyam Sankar made the remarks during an interview with Margaret Brennan on CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday.

"So many AI researchers have started smoking as a way of signaling to other researchers how much they believe in AI," Sankar said.

He described the reasoning behind the behavior as: "I believe so much in AI that it's going to cure cancer. So I will—I'm showing you my chips are all in."

Sankar did not name any researchers or provide evidence to support the claim.

A cautionary point, not an endorsement

Although the remark quickly spread online, Sankar raised the smoking example as a warning rather than praise. He used it to illustrate what he described as an almost religious fervor around AI in parts of the technology industry.

Immediately after describing the behavior, Sankar said there is "kind of this mass psychosis social delusion" around the technology, according to a transcript of his remarks.

Sankar said the widespread hype around AI amounted to "mass psychosis" and "social delusion," distracting from the technology's actual developments.

His criticism extended to the opposite end of the debate. Sankar said warnings from some AI researchers about the possible destruction of humanity reflect a theological perspective rather than conclusions based entirely on empirical evidence.

He criticized both doomsday predictions and utopian faith in artificial general intelligence, which he said some in Silicon Valley treat as a "machine god."

Two obligations for the industry

Sankar argued that the technology industry has two responsibilities: proving that AI can strengthen national prosperity and security, and engineering products with safety built in from the start.

Palantir, based in Denver, builds data analytics and AI software used by government agencies, including the U.S. military and intelligence community, as well as by commercial clients. The company has become one of the most closely watched beneficiaries of the AI boom, and Sankar has been a prominent voice on the role of technology in national defense.

He has also long criticized the influence of the effective altruism movement on discussions of AI safety, a perspective that has shaped many of the industry's warnings about existential risk.

Not the first such claim

Sankar's comments echo earlier reports of a smoking subculture emerging among some tech founders, engineers and investors, a striking departure from Silicon Valley's broader wellness culture, which often emphasizes biohacking, sleep optimization and rigorous health tracking.

Avi Schiffmann, founder of the AI wearable startup Friend, previously told Business Insider that by the time people develop lung cancer, "our AI robots are supposed to have cured that."

Online reaction to Sankar's remarks was mixed, with some social media users treating the claim as a joke and others questioning whether the trend exists on any meaningful scale.

AI and cancer research

Prominent figures in the technology industry, including Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, have expressed optimism that AI could help accelerate progress against diseases including cancer.

AI is increasingly being used in medical research, including in drug discovery, analysis of medical imaging and early cancer detection. Researchers have reported advances in using machine learning to identify tumors in scans, predict how proteins fold and screen potential drug compounds more quickly than traditional methods.

However, these tools do not guarantee a cure. Cancer encompasses hundreds of distinct diseases, and translating laboratory advances into approved treatments typically takes years of clinical trials and regulatory review.

Health risks of smoking remain

Public health authorities continue to identify smoking as one of the leading causes of preventable disease and death worldwide. Tobacco use is linked not only to lung cancer but also to cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder and pancreas, as well as heart disease, stroke and chronic lung disease.

Advances in AI have not eliminated those risks. Even with improvements in screening and treatment, lung cancer remains among the deadliest forms of the disease, in part because it is often diagnosed at later stages.

Health experts have long warned that the effects of smoking accumulate over time, and that quitting at any age reduces the risk of serious illness.

Broader debate over AI hype

Sankar's comments come amid a wider debate in the technology industry and among policymakers over how to balance enthusiasm for AI with realistic expectations about what it can deliver and how quickly.

Supporters of rapid AI development argue that the technology could transform medicine, science and the economy within years. Critics caution that overly optimistic predictions can fuel speculative investment, distract from near-term risks and set unrealistic expectations for the public.

Sankar's remarks placed him among those calling for a more grounded approach, focused on practical applications and safety rather than either utopian or apocalyptic visions of the technology.

Whether the smoking trend he described is widespread or limited to a small number of individuals remains unclear. Sankar did not say how many researchers he was referring to or which organizations they worked for.