AI and compute
Stop AI? Here's who wants to, and why we say build more
Stop clanker hate instead.
What 'stop AI' means
Three different things, depending on who's searching:
- A group. Stop AI is an activist organization formed in 2024 in Oakland, California, that seeks to ban the development of artificial general intelligence[8]. It calls for 'a permanent and enforceable global ban on the further development of frontier AI technology'[13].
- A policy push. PauseAI wants to stop the development of the most powerful general AI systems until we know how to make them safe[6]. In September 2026 a bill was introduced in Congress to ban artificial superintelligence[9].
- A personal choice. Plenty of people just want fewer AI features in their apps.
US searches for 'stop ai' more than tripled in a year[4].
The best case for stopping
Here's the other side at its strongest. Some AI researchers argue the only safe plan is to stop AI from getting too powerful in the first place, because staying in control of a superhuman system may not work[14]. Stop AI's demands go wider: a ban on AI-driven weapons, and rules on surveillance and intellectual property theft[15]. And the public is uneasy: 52% of Americans say they're more concerned than excited about AI, and 71% expect it to mean fewer US jobs over the next 20 years[5]. Those are serious worries, and they deserve serious answers.
Why stopping is the wrong answer
You can't uninvent it. The US restricted China's access to advanced AI chips in 2022[2], and China has built eight national computing hubs anyway[3]. A ban in one country is a head start for every other. Stopping also means stopping the good part. AI that predicts protein structures helped win the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry[11], and that kind of science runs on compute. Global data center electricity use is set to more than double by 2030[1]. That's demand, not a bug. The way to make AI safe and useful is to lead it: more researchers, more safety work, more compute, more data centers, and the power to run them.
What we'd rather stop
Clanker hate. Also: slow permits, blocked power lines and pretending the future will build itself.
Stop AI vs. PauseAI vs. the rest
- Stop AI (2024, Oakland): permanent global ban on frontier AI, citizen oversight; civil disobedience such as blocking OpenAI's doors[8][10].
- PauseAI (2023, started in the Netherlands): a pause on training the most powerful general AI systems until safety can be guaranteed; legal protests outside AI labs[6][7].
- ControlAI (2023): awareness of extinction risk through ads and lobbying, not street protests[10].
- Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act (2026): would ban building or deploying superintelligence and pause advanced AI until a new federal AI department sets rules[9].
- Us: build 1,000 times more compute, do the safety work, and get humanity to the stars.
The Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act
On September 23, 2026, Rep. Greg Casar and Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced a bill saying 'no person or entity may develop or deploy Artificial Superintelligence'[9]. It would also pause advanced AI development until a new cabinet-level Department of Artificial Intelligence is running[9]. Our view: a US-only pause hands the lead to everyone else[2][3]. Fund the safety research, set clear rules, and keep building.
Want less AI in your day? Here's how
We think you're missing out, but it's your phone.
- Google Search: AI Overviews are a core feature and cannot be turned off. You can pick the Web filter after a search, which shows only text links[12].
- Apps and devices: most assistants and AI features have an off switch in settings.
The AI is still running underneath all of it. It's in the spam filter, the maps and the fraud alerts. Stopping AI mostly means not noticing it.
Why young people are wary
For the first time, most US adults under 30 (55%) say they're more concerned than excited about AI, per a Pew survey from June 2026[5]. The biggest fear is jobs[5]. Fair. Our answer: the jobs in building it. Data centers, power plants, transmission lines and chip fabs all need people, and the future needs more of them.
Share these
Free to share. Tap a meme to save it. Keep the corner mark.
FAQ
Can AI be stopped?
Not globally. The research, chips and code exist in many countries.
Is AI dangerous?
It has real risks that deserve serious safety work. Building it carefully beats not building it.
Is it even possible to stop AI?
Not globally. The chips, code and researchers exist in many countries. The US restricted China's access to advanced AI chips in 2022[2], and China kept building national computing hubs[3]. A ban in one country mostly decides who leads. Slowing safety-minded builders is the riskiest option.
How can I turn off AI?
Most apps and phones let you switch off AI assistants in settings. Google says AI Overviews in Search cannot be turned off, but the Web filter after a search shows only text links[12]. AI still runs underneath, in spam filters, maps and fraud checks, so 'off' really means 'out of sight'.
How do I get rid of AI on Google?
You can't remove AI Overviews. Google calls them a core Search feature that cannot be turned off[12]. After you search, choose the Web filter to see only text-based links[12]. You have to pick it on each search. Or keep the overview: it's often the fastest answer on the page.
Why is Gen Z anti-AI?
Mostly jobs. In a June 2026 Pew survey, 55% of US adults under 30 said they're more concerned than excited about AI, a majority for the first time, and 71% of all adults expect AI to mean fewer US jobs over 20 years[5]. We think building it creates jobs too.
What is Stop AI?
Stop AI is an American activist group formed in 2024 and based in Oakland, California. It wants to ban the development of artificial general intelligence[8] and calls for a permanent, enforceable global ban on frontier AI[13]. Some members have been arrested for blocking the doors of OpenAI offices[8].
What is the difference between Stop AI and PauseAI?
Stop AI wants a permanent global ban on frontier AI and uses civil disobedience[13][10]. PauseAI wants a temporary pause on training the most powerful AI systems until they're provably safe, and says it stays within the law[10][7]. PauseAI US says it doesn't work with Stop AI[10].
Is there a Stop AI T-shirt?
There are anti-AI shirts out there, including PauseAI's merch shop[6]. Ours says the opposite: STOP CLANKER HATE. It's for people who think robots and AI are on our side and want 1,000 times more compute. Same protest-sign energy, better future.
Sources
- International Energy Agency, Energy and AI, executive summary (April 2025)
- US Bureau of Industry and Security press release, October 7, 2022
- China News Service (ECNS), 'China initiates east-data-west-computing project', 2022-02-22
- DataForSEO keyword data (Google Ads and DataForSEO Labs), US, English, pulled 2026-11-08
- Pew Research Center
- PauseAI homepage
- Wikipedia, 'PauseAI'
- Wikipedia, 'Stop AI'
- Office of Rep. Greg Casar, press release
- Transformer (Shakeel Hashim), 'A brief guide to the groups protesting over AI'
- Wikipedia, 'AlphaFold'
- Google Search Help, AI Overviews
- STOP AI homepage
- David Krueger, 'Stop AI', The Real AI (Substack)
- STOP AI, About Us