‘Pull the plug’: protesters resort to direct action against AI firms
Campaign groups report surge in membership after a spate of AI safety alerts and apocalyptic warnings In a bar below Waterloo Bridge, a cell of a fast-growing anti-AI protest movement met last week to plot their latest move: disrupting a tech industry dinner being addressed by a senior executive from the chip maker Nvidia. Emma, a 28-year-old bartender, had never before taken direct action and…
Protesters are increasingly resorting to direct action against AI firms after a series of safety alerts and apocalyptic warnings about the dangers of artificial intelligence. A group called Pull The Plug, based in London, is one of many AI-focused campaign groups around the world. The group was formed in January and currently has around 300 members, mostly aged 20 to 40.
According to Emma, a member of Pull The Plug, the group advocates for direct action as a tactic other AI campaigns have rejected. Recently, a member of the group climbed onto a chair during an AI conference in London and delivered a passionate speech, expressing concerns about the incompetence of men handling this technology and the potential disaster that could result.
Other AI protest movements are gaining momentum, following a surge of news about AI dangers. For instance, the PauseAI confederation of campaign groups saw a fourfold increase in sign-ups when worrying news about rogue AI agents broke in August, and a surge to about 681 volunteers in the week following a researcher's warning that superintelligent AI "could kill us all by the end of the decade."
Donald Trump's announcement that he wants AI companies to self-police has also contributed to the surge in recruiting new members to the movement.
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