Prominent Scientists, Faith Leaders, Policymakers and Artists Call for a Prohibition on Superintelligence, as Poll Shows Americans Don’t Want It

2026-03-27 · Source: Future of Life Institute · Field: Technology & Digital — Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Emerging Technologies & Innovation · Depth: Fundamental Awareness, medium

Summary

On March 27, 2026, the Future of Life Institute (FLI) launched an initiative calling for a prohibition on superintelligence development until it is reliably safe, controllable, and has public buy-in. This initiative is supported by a diverse coalition including AI pioneers Yoshua Bengio and Geoffrey Hinton, business leaders Steve Wozniak and Richard Branson, five Nobel Laureates, and former Irish President Mary Robinson. Concurrently, FLI released a U.S. national poll indicating that only 5% of Americans support unregulated AI development, 73% favor robust regulation, and 64% believe superintelligence should not be developed without scientific agreement on its safety and controllability. Superintelligence is defined as AI outperforming humans in most cognitive tasks, with experts predicting its arrival within ten years, yet lacking control mechanisms. The initiative advocates for secure innovation in controllable AI tools for specific problems, rather than a race toward potentially dangerous, smarter-than-human AI.

Key takeaway

For AI researchers and policymakers weighing the future of advanced AI, this initiative highlights a significant, broad-based demand for caution. You should prioritize developing AI systems with inherent safety and control mechanisms, focusing on specific problem-solving applications rather than an unconstrained pursuit of superintelligence. Engage actively with public sentiment and scientific consensus to ensure ethical and responsible AI advancement, mitigating risks of economic displacement, loss of freedoms, and national security threats.

Key insights

A broad coalition calls for prohibiting superintelligence development until safety, control, and public consensus are achieved.

Principles

• Superintelligence requires reliable safety and public buy-in.
• Controllable AI tools offer benefits without superintelligence risks.

Method

The Future of Life Institute (FLI) launched an initiative and a U.S. national poll to advocate for a prohibition on superintelligence development until safety, control, and public consensus are established.

In practice

• Focus AI development on controllable tools for specific problems.
• Prioritize public engagement in AI governance decisions.

Topics

• Superintelligence Prohibition
• AI Safety
• Public Opinion on AI
• Future of Life Institute
• AI Regulation

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Future of Life Institute.