A collective of prominent individuals has endorsed an open letter advocating for a worldwide prohibition on a type of artificial intelligence capable of surpassing human intellect.
An array of hundreds of notable personalities from the fields of technology, academia, government, and entertainment have affixed their signatures to a letter pressing for a moratorium on the creation of what is termed “superintelligence,” an AI iteration expected to exceed human capabilities across virtually every cognitive function.
The signatories contend that the emergence of superintelligent AI, if not properly controlled, could precipitate widespread economic disruption, erode fundamental human liberties, and potentially imperil the very existence of humanity. This appeal comes after several months of intensifying alarms from specialists noting that current AI systems are progressing at a pace outstripping regulatory oversight.
By Thursday, the list of approximately 4,300 signees included figures like Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, entertainment personalities Kate Bush and Will.I.am, and influential tech pioneers, often referred to as “godfathers,” including Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio.
The declaration requests that this ban remain in effect until “there is widespread scientific agreement that [its development] can be accomplished both safely and with adequate control,” in addition to securing “robust public acceptance.”
Notwithstanding mounting concerns regarding the inherent dangers of AI, worldwide regulatory frameworks continue to be fragmented and unstandardized.
The European Union’s AI Act, representing the inaugural significant effort globally to govern this technology, aims to classify AI systems according to their risk profile, ranging from negligible to intolerable. However, detractors argue that this framework, which might require years for complete implementation, could well be obsolete by the point it becomes fully effective.
Major technology firms such as OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic, and xAI are dedicating billions of dollars to developing models capable of independent thought, planning, and coding. Meanwhile, both the United States and China are framing AI dominance as a crucial aspect of national security and economic preeminence.