Over 800 Global Leaders Advocate for a Ban on Superintelligent AI Development
On October 22, 2025, a public statement was signed by more than 800 distinguished individuals from the realms of technology, science, politics, and culture. This statement called for a ban on the development of “superintelligent” artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
The coalition, orchestrated by the Future of Life Institute, comprises an unexpected alliance of notable figures. These include Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, AI pioneers Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, Nobel laureates, and even Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The politically diverse group also features conservative commentators Steve Bannon and Glenn Beck, former US Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen, and Paolo Benanti, Pope Francis’s AI advisor.
The statement is aimed at tech giants such as Google, OpenAI, and Meta Platforms, who are in a race to construct AI systems designed to outperform human intelligence. The petition likens superintelligence to risks on the scale of pandemics or nuclear weapons, and calls for a ban that should not be lifted “before there is broad scientific consensus that it will be done safely and controllably.”
This represents a significant step up from previous calls for temporary pauses in AI development. The current demand is for a complete prohibition until safety can be assured.
Source: CNBC