More than 700 scientists, public figures, and celebrities — including Prince Harry, Richard Branson, and Steve Bannon — have signed an open letter calling for an immediate end to the development of artificial intelligence systems capable of outsmarting humans.
The appeal, published on Wednesday by the Future of Life Institute (FLI), a US-based non-profit advocating against AI-related risks, urges a global prohibition on creating “superintelligent” AI until it can be proven safe, controllable, and supported by the public.
Signatories include Geoffrey Hinton, the “Godfather of AI” and 2024 Nobel Physics laureate; Yoshua Bengio of the University of Montreal; and Stuart Russell, a computer science professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Other high-profile names include Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, former US presidential adviser Steve Bannon, and ex-national security adviser Susan Rice.
The initiative also won support from the Vatican’s AI ethics expert Paolo Benanti, as well as celebrities such as Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and musician will.i.am.
According to the letter, many AI companies are in a race toward developing Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) — systems that can match or surpass human cognitive abilities — and ultimately superintelligence, which could exceed them.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently predicted that superintelligence might be achieved within five years, intensifying debates over safety and control.
FLI President Max Tegmark told AFP that tech companies should not pursue such goals without clear global regulations. Similarly, institute co-founder Anthony Aguirre warned that the current industry trajectory is “wildly out of step with what the public wants, scientists think is safe, or religious leaders feel is right.”
The letter echoes a separate call made during the United Nations General Assembly in September, where AI experts urged governments to establish international “red lines” on AI development by 2026 to prevent potential misuse and loss of human oversight.
