Shares linked to artificial intelligence and the semiconductor industry came under pressure across Asian markets on Monday after several leading figures in the AI industry called for a slower pace of development.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei urged companies developing advanced AI systems to coordinate on managing the speed of progress because of concerns about potential misuse and risks associated with increasingly powerful models. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and xAI chief Elon Musk also expressed support for slowing the pace of development.

The comments had a direct impact on technology stocks. SoftBank shares fell as much as 13.2% in Japan, while memory chipmaker Kioxia dropped 9.8%. Tokyo Electron declined 3.7%. In South Korea, SK Hynix fell 5.3% and Samsung Electronics dropped 3.7%. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company also declined 1.2%.

Investor concerns increased after recent reports highlighted the potential misuse of advanced AI systems. Anthropic has also reported cases in which its Claude models were used in activities involving cyber operations, surveillance, fraud and weapons development.

The growing debate comes as governments and technology companies face increasing pressure to address the risks linked to rapid AI progress. The United States and China are also expected to discuss AI safety during wider bilateral talks this month.

Despite the concerns, the United States continues to push for leadership in artificial intelligence, while investors remain focused on how safety measures and possible regulations could affect the industry's rapid expansion.