Apple Co-Founder and AI Pioneers Urge Pause on Superintelligent AI Development

Some of the world’s most renowned minds and influential figures have come together to call for a halt on the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI), also known as superintelligence. Among the signatories are Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak, AI pioneers and Turing Award winners Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, along with a mix of politicians, celebrities, and public figures.The letter, released by the Future of Life Institute and titled “Statement on Superintelligence”, emphasizes the need to pause AGI development until society can establish proper safety measures. Over 23,000 people, including more than 3,000 prominent personalities from different fields, have already signed the statement.

The statement warns that advancing AI without proper safeguards could lead to serious consequences, including economic instability, loss of civil liberties, threats to national security, and even the potential extinction of humanity.Notable supporters also include Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, Prince Harry and Meghan, Pope’s AI adviser Paolo Benanti, former US National Security Advisor Susan Rice, and celebrities like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sir Stephen Fry, and Will.I.Am.Yoshua Bengio, signing the letter, said, “To move safely toward superintelligence, we must ensure AI systems are designed in a way that they cannot harm people, intentionally or accidentally, and give the public a strong voice in shaping our collective future.”