{
  "id": 12316258,
  "title": "‘Pull the plug’: protesters resort to direct action against AI firms",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/pull-the-plug-protesters-resort-to-direct-action-against-ai-firms",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-06T06:00:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Business",
    "slug": "guardian-business",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/oct/06/pull-the-plug-protesters-resort-to-direct-action-against-ai-firms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "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…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Guardian Technology",
        "title": "‘Pull the plug’: protesters resort to direct action against AI firms",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/pull-the-plug-protesters-resort-to-direct-action-against-ai-firms-12330377",
        "published": "2026-10-06T06:00:04.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}