Stock index futures fell early Monday, pointing to a lower open as investors weighed developments around the artificial intelligence sector and monitored oil prices following a sharp move higher. Nasdaq 100 futures (US100:IND) dropped -1.

Amodei's essay landed after an Anthropic researcher set off a firestorm on social media this week by announcing he quit his job at the company.

SoftBank stock fell 11% after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman ruled out a 2026 IPO and AI safety concerns rattled investor confidence.

OpenAI confidentially submitted paperwork for an IPO in June, although the company has indicated that the timing of a potential listing has not yet been finalised.

The artificial intelligence sector is reflecting on the pace of its advances after Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei urged a slowdown in the pace of research as the industry grapples with advances in a safe manner, getting support from his peers at SpaceX and OpenAI, the latter of which separately pushed out listing plans for this year.

OpenAI will not go public this year, said Sam Altman, its boss, arguing that the firm must first grapple with the risks posed by increasingly powerful artificial-intelligence models. He also backed a call by Dario Amodei,

Rick Heitzmann, FirstMark founder, joins 'Closing Bell' to discuss AI IPO race, recent departures at OpenAI and much more.

Anthropic is expected to unveil its IPO prospectus soon, allowing investors to pore over its finances ahead of a listing that could value the five-year-old company at $2tn or more. OpenAI is expected to follow suit with an IPO next year.