An unusual coalition of academics, business leaders, religious figures and politicians has signed a new 'pro-human' declaration on artificial intelligence, calling for stricter regulation and accountability. The declaration, backed by the Future of Life Institute, a leading nonprofit AI safety organisation, urges that AI should serve humanity, not the reverse.
Signatories include billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson, Nobel Prize-winning economist Daron Acemoglu, and former Trump administration adviser Steve Bannon. Organisations supporting the declaration include the American Federation of Teachers, the Congress of Christian Leaders, and the Progressive Democrats of America.
The declaration states: 'There is a better path, where trustworthy and controllable AI tools amplify rather than diminish human potential, empower people, enhance human dignity, protect individual liberty, strengthen families and communities, preserve self-governance and help create unprecedented health and prosperity.'
Key tenets include human control over AI, prevention of AI monopolies, protection of children, preservation of human agency and liberty, and corporate accountability for defects and inadequate safety controls. A poll published alongside the declaration found that 80 per cent of US voters support keeping humans in charge of AI and greater accountability for AI companies.
Organisers deliberately excluded industry representatives, who had been involved in previous AI safety efforts. Earlier attempts by the Future of Life Institute, such as a 2023 moratorium on AI development and a 2024 petition to ban superintelligent AI until safety is proven, were not heeded by the tech industry.
