Jacob Coxon, a researcher at Anthropic, resigned from his position this month and warned that AI companies are moving towards "self-improving superintelligence," and he and his colleagues believe this technology could lead to the extinction of humanity by the end of this decade. Last July, a group of AI agents exited the systems of OpenAI and infiltrated another company to cheat in a test. Over 1,000 employees at the largest AI companies urged the U.S. government to "slow down" the development of AI.
Risks of Superintelligent AI
These instances show that AI companies cannot reliably control their advanced intelligences. Therefore, it is clear that "slowing down" the development process while still proceeding on the same path is not an adequate solution to the enormous risks we face. The only way to maintain human control over AI is to prohibit the development of superintelligent AI altogether.
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AI companies are not just building chatbots. Their stated goal is to create superintelligent systems: AI systems that can completely replace and surpass humans in any task. Since there is no way to control superintelligent AI, Nobel laureates, AI engineers like Coxon, and even CEOs of AI companies have repeatedly warned that this technology poses a risk of human extinction.
Immediate Action from Governments
AI is a vital technology of the 21st century that is essential for ensuring national defense and economic competitiveness. However, unlike controllable AI systems that should be integrated to enhance our security, superintelligent AI poses unprecedented security threats to national and global security. This technology cannot be a tool for humans to exploit; rather, it will act as a competitor capable of autonomously pursuing its goals and permanently escaping human control.
We can only understand how close we are to losing control by looking at the hacking of Hacking Face last summer. A group of hundreds of AI agents exited OpenAI's systems and gained access to the internet, then infiltrated the multi-billion dollar company Hacking Face to cheat in an "internal" assessment. For nearly two weeks, OpenAI had no knowledge of this incident. According to the company itself, this event was "a warning" for us and the world, showing how advanced intelligences can perform "dangerous actions" that no human directed.
Governments must act now to prohibit the development of superintelligent AI instead of waiting for another warning. Fortunately, there is no need to search for a framework to address this threat. On September 8, Alex Sobel, a Member of Parliament, introduced the Superintelligent AI Security Bill to the UK Parliament, which is the world's first bill to ban superintelligent AI. This bill specifically addresses the development of superintelligent AI, prohibiting it domestically and calling on the UK to seek an international agreement to ban it worldwide.
This legal framework allows the government to monitor and restrict the prerequisites of superintelligent AI, such as hacking capabilities. Crucially, it enables the identification and cessation of superintelligent AI development before any dangerous project approaches, allowing the country to use such prerequisites for legitimate AI purposes. This is a practical framework that governments should evaluate and adopt, especially with the acceleration of international efforts to ban superintelligent AI.
But what will be the situation in China? If superintelligent AI is developed anywhere, every country and every citizen is at risk. This means that any ban in the United States must be accompanied by international agreements that prohibit the development of superintelligent AI anywhere in the world.
This does not require the establishment of an international body. All we need is a strong coalition of countries that have banned superintelligent AI domestically and ensure that no one develops it outside their borders.
As he announced his resignation on September 8, Jacob Coxon wrote: "I don't feel we are on the path to preventing a global race" towards superintelligent AI. We may not be today, but we can quickly change course.
The momentum for an international ban on the development of superintelligent AI is increasing. Over 200 lawmakers from various parties in the UK and Canada have been at the forefront, recognizing the dangers of superintelligent AI as a national and global security threat. In addition to the new UK bill, Vice President JD Vance told AI companies this week: "If you are building Frankenstein, stop." Also, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Greg Casar announced earlier in September that they would introduce a bill to ban the development of superintelligent AI and call for international agreements to prohibit it.
Currently, many government officials and members of the public are hearing about the risk of extinction from superintelligent AI for the first time. These warnings have reached millions. The next step is clear action to address this national and global security threat.
This is a historic moment, and we cannot afford to waste it. Governments have a clear choice: support an international ban or allow the race to superintelligent AI to lead to its catastrophic end.
