Anti-AGI Activists Stage Hunger Strikes at Anthropic, DeepMind Amid Escalating AI Risk Concerns

Guido Reichstadter has initiated a hunger strike outside the headquarters of the AI company Anthropic, protesting the rapid development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and warning of its potential catastrophic risks to society and humanity. Reichstadter and other activists, including Michaël Trazzi who is striking outside DeepMind, emphasize that the race to develop ever more powerful AI systems threatens human well-being and could lead to existential dangers if unchecked. These protests are part of a broader movement, including groups like StopAI, which advocate for halting AGI development until proper safeguards are established to prevent harms such as labor displacement, concentrated economic power, and opaque governance. The activists call on AI companies' leadership and employees to cease their current development trajectories and engage in remedial actions, urging society to recognize the urgency of the situation. While some experts argue AGI remains decades away and caution that the perceived AI race may be driven by industry and investment interests, the hunger strikes symbolize a growing public resistance against unchecked technological acceleration. This emergent activism reflects a shift toward direct action targeting the operational aspects of AI companies, signaling increased societal demand for accountability and caution in AI advancement.