According to Decrypt, Palantir chief technology officer Shyam Sankar said many AI researchers have begun smoking cigarettes to express their confidence that artificial intelligence will eventually cure cancer. The practice is described by Sankar as a symbolic gesture among some researchers, not a scientific or medical effort. No details were provided about how widespread the behavior is, when it began, or specific researcher names. Sankar made the comment in reference to observed instances of researchers smoking while working on AI projects related to health applications, including cancer research. The act itself is presented by him as a personal or informal signal of faith in AI’s potential rather than evidence or proof of any claim. Palantir has not issued additional commentary on the statement.
