• Prince Harry and Meghan Markle join diverse coalition urging a ban on AI superintelligence.
• The coalition's letter warns of AI risks including economic obsolescence and potential human extinction.
• Signatories include notable figures from various fields, including tech, politics, and the arts.
• The call follows broader concerns within the tech community regarding the pace and direction of AI development.
• This coalition highlights the mainstream acceptance of concerns over AI risks.

In an unprecedented move, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have allied with a diverse group of notable figures—including computer scientists, artists, and prominent conservative commentators Steve Bannon and Glenn Beck—to demand a ban on the development of "superintelligent" AI. The initiative targets tech giants like Google, OpenAI, and Meta, who are racing to create AI that could surpass human intelligence across various cognitive tasks, according to Indiatimes, South China Morning Post, and CBS News.

The coalition's letter, released on Wednesday, articulates a clear and concise demand: "We call for a prohibition on the development of superintelligence, not lifted before there is broad scientific consensus that it will be done safely and controllably, and strong public buy-in." The correspondence emphasizes that while AI has the potential to bring benefits like healthcare advancements and economic growth, the pursuit of superintelligence poses serious threats, including "human economic obsolescence and disempowerment, losses of freedom, civil liberties, dignity, and control, to national security risks and even potential human extinction," as noted by Indiatimes and South China Morning Post.

Prince Harry voiced his perspective in a personal note, stating that "the future of AI should serve humanity, not replace it." He further emphasized, "the true test of progress will be not how fast we move, but how wisely we steer. There is no second chance." Alongside Harry, additional signatories include AI pioneers Yoshua Bengio and Geoffrey Hinton, both noted for their concerns about superintelligence, according to Indiatimes and CBS News.

The letter's signatories span a diverse ideological spectrum, aiming to unify opinions across political divides. Stuart Russell, an AI scholar and signatory, clarified that the proposal is not about an outright ban but about ensuring adequate safety measures for emergent technologies which could potentially lead to human extinction, as reported by South China Morning Post and Indiatimes.

The initiative has reinvigorated debate within the tech community about the future of AI, drawing attention to concerns over its rapid development. Max Tegmark, presiding over the Future of Life Institute, noted that the criticism of AI's trajectory is gaining mainstream traction. In the past, discussions were predominantly confined to academic circles; however, the coalition’s efforts signify a broader socio-political engagement with the potential hazards of AI advancement, citing South China Morning Post and Indiatimes.

This movement follows previous calls for a moratorium on developing powerful AI models; notably, an earlier request by Tegmark's group in March 2023 went unheeded by major firms. The urgency surrounding AI's rapid evolution and the heated competitive landscape further complicate the dialogue, as many companies often inflate their AI's capabilities for market advantage, leading to concerns of an "AI bubble," as highlighted by Indiatimes and CBS News.