1) What do you expect? We already live in a world full of sci-fi wonders.
2) LLM’s as they currently stand are a video-calling in the 90′s level of futuristic. As in, kinda what we associate with the future, but the fictional versions are way more powerful than reality.
3) People recognise that AGI isn’t for them. It’s current trajectory will further enrich a few. Leaving the rest of us to an uncertain and probably worse off fate. So I would say its pretty understandable that people aren’t exactly jazzed about that prospect
Three things suggest to me that they don’t believe LLMs will cause an extinction level event. 1. Their initial banal answer about providing a good product. 2. Their immediate defensive reply of “yes of course” (although this may be me inferring tone) when directly challenged on the belief. 3. Their apparent lack of any previous thought about AI safety.
My guess would be that the reason they work there is that they like the prestige. But it would be gauche to just say that outright.