Superhuman AI Fears Spark Hunger Strikes at Anthropic and DeepMind

Activists Stage Hunger Strikes to Halt AI Development

Two activists are making a bold stand against the rapid development of artificial intelligence by staging a hunger strike outside the offices of two major AI companies, Anthropic and DeepMind. Their goal is to demand that these organizations halt their work on advanced AI systems, which they believe pose a significant threat to humanity.

Guido Reichstadter, a 45-year-old activist, has been on a hunger strike for a week, living only on water, electrolytes, and multivitamins. He plans to continue his protest until the companies respond to his concerns about the direction of AI development. Reichstadter, who is also the founder of Stop AI, a group focused on halting the development of Artificial Superintelligence (ASI), believes that current AI advancements could lead to human extinction, mass job loss, and other critical issues.

Reichstadter's message is clear: he wants AI companies to stop their work on frontier technologies. In a letter delivered to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, he urged the company to halt its development efforts and take responsibility for the potential harm caused by AI. "I think great things could be done with very limited systems that don't pose the same kinds of risks," he said.

Amodei himself has raised concerns about the impact of AI on employment, warning that it may eliminate 50% of entry-level white-collar jobs within the next five years. He emphasized the need for honesty about the future of AI, stating that many people are not yet aware of the potential consequences.

Reichstadter’s activism extends beyond this current protest. In 2022, he went on a 15-day hunger strike outside the Miami mayor’s office to draw attention to the climate crisis. He feels that he could have continued for longer, and currently reports feeling good despite the challenges of his current protest.

Another activist, Michael Trazzi, a 29-year-old former AI safety researcher from France, has joined Reichstadter in his cause. Trazzi has been fasting for three days outside DeepMind’s London headquarters. He studied computer science and AI safety at the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford, which shut down in April 2024. Trazzi now creates content on TikTok and YouTube Shorts about AI policy and is concerned about the pace of AI development.

Trazzi believes that collective pressure on AI executives can lead to meaningful change. He specifically wants DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis to publicly commit to pausing the release of new frontier models if other AI labs do the same. "If enough of those leaders say it publicly, then you get global coordination around a pause," he said.

Both activists are part of a growing movement that seeks to slow down or halt the development of advanced AI systems. They argue that the current race to develop artificial general intelligence is reckless and could have catastrophic consequences if not properly managed.

Despite their efforts, neither Anthropic nor DeepMind has responded to requests for comment. However, the actions of Reichstadter and Trazzi highlight the increasing urgency surrounding AI development and the need for responsible innovation.

As the debate over AI continues, these activists serve as a reminder of the potential risks associated with unchecked technological progress. Their protests underscore the importance of ethical considerations and the need for a coordinated global response to ensure that AI is developed in a way that benefits humanity rather than threatens it.