In a notable display of concern regarding the swift advancement of artificial intelligence, two activists have initiated a hunger strike outside the offices of Google DeepMind in London and Anthropic in the United States. Their demonstration demands an immediate halt to the competition to develop more powerful AI systems, which they caution may pose significant threats to society. One of the protestors, 45-year-old Guido Reichstadter, has already abstained from food for over a week. In an interview with Business Insider, he pledged to continue his strike until Anthropic addresses his concerns.
On the online platform LessWrong, Reichstadter called on the leadership and staff of the company to “immediately stop their reckless actions, which are harming our society and to work to remediate the harm that has already been caused.” His primary demand is aimed at Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, urging him to cease all frontier AI development. On the first day of his protest, he delivered a letter to Amodei, requesting the company to halt its technological advancements. Until he receives a response, Reichstadter has committed to surviving solely on water, electrolytes, and multivitamins. This protest occurs amid rising concerns about the unregulated pace of AI development.
Experts worldwide are expressing caution, with notable AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton warning that tech companies are not fully transparent about the associated risks. Amodei has also expressed concerns, predicting that AI could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar jobs within the next five years. Reichstadter has experience in high-profile activism; in 2022, he undertook a 15-day hunger strike in Miami to draw attention to the climate crisis. He is the founder of “Stop AI,” a campaign that aims to permanently prohibit the development of Artificial Superintelligence. His activism has led to arrests, including an incident where he chained the doors of OpenAI’s San Francisco headquarters shut, for which he is currently awaiting trial.
Michael Trazzi, a 29-year-old former AI safety researcher from France, has joined the hunger strike outside DeepMind’s London office, inspired by Reichstadter’s actions. Trazzi, who studied computer science and AI in Paris and worked at Oxford’s now-defunct Future of Humanity Institute, is calling on DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis to publicly commit to not releasing new frontier models if other leading AI companies agree to a pause. “If enough of those leaders say it publicly, then you get global coordination around a pause,” Trazzi stated to Business Insider. Now involved in creating online content related to AI policy, Trazzi believes that increasing public pressure could motivate executives to enact meaningful changes.
The hunger strike highlights a growing movement of activists demanding accountability from major AI firms. While the tech industry celebrates advancements such as DeepMind’s recently launched AlphaEvolve, critics contend that unchecked progress could result in significant societal consequences.