On October 22, 2025, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, made headlines by joining a strikingly diverse coalition of public figures, scientists, artists, and political leaders in calling for a ban on the development of artificial intelligence (AI) "superintelligence." This high-profile appeal, organized by the nonprofit Future of Life Institute, throws a spotlight on mounting global anxieties about the unchecked race to create AI systems that could one day outperform humans in nearly every cognitive task.
The coalition’s letter, released Wednesday, is targeted squarely at tech giants such as Google, OpenAI, and Meta Platforms—the very companies most aggressively pursuing the dream of superintelligent AI. According to the statement, these firms are locked in a competitive sprint to build AI that can "significantly outperform all humans on essentially all cognitive tasks," raising the stakes for both innovation and risk.
The signatories are a who’s who of modern thought leadership, spanning the ideological and professional spectrum. Alongside Prince Harry and Meghan are AI pioneers Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio—both Turing Award winners and among the most respected voices in the field. The letter also bears the signatures of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, British billionaire Richard Branson, economist Daron Acemoglu, former U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen, Democratic foreign policy expert Susan Rice, former Irish President Mary Robinson, and even American conservative commentators Steve Bannon and Glenn Beck. Artists and entertainers such as Stephen Fry, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and musician will.i.am have also lent their support, making this one of the most ideologically and professionally diverse appeals yet seen in the AI safety debate.
The 30-word statement at the heart of the letter is direct: “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 coalition is not advocating for a simple pause or moratorium, but for a clear prohibition—one that would remain in place until the scientific community and the broader public are convinced the technology can be managed safely.
The letter’s preamble acknowledges that AI tools could bring about significant benefits to health and prosperity. However, it warns that the drive to develop superintelligence carries risks that are nothing short of existential. These include "human economic obsolescence and disempowerment, losses of freedom, civil liberties, dignity, and control, to national security risks and even potential human extinction." The message is stark: while AI holds promise, the dangers of moving too quickly, without adequate safeguards, could be catastrophic.
Prince Harry, in a personal note attached to the statement, underscored the gravity of the moment. “The future of AI should serve humanity, not replace it. I believe the true test of progress will be not how fast we move, but how wisely we steer. There is no second chance,” he wrote, according to the Royal Insider. Meghan Markle echoed his concerns, bolstering the couple’s ongoing advocacy for cyber safety and responsible technology.
Stuart Russell, a leading AI pioneer and professor at the University of California, Berkeley, further clarified the coalition’s intent: “This is not a ban or even a moratorium in the usual sense. It’s simply a proposal to require adequate safety measures for a technology that, according to its developers, has a significant chance to cause human extinction. Is that too much to ask?” Russell’s words cut to the heart of the debate—how much risk is society willing to accept in pursuit of technological progress?
Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, another signatory, offered a more cultural critique, highlighting the tension between AI’s potential and its pitfalls. “Yeah, we want specific AI tools that can help cure diseases, strengthen national security, etc. But does AI also need to imitate humans, groom our kids, turn us all into slop junkies and make zillions of dollars serving ads? Most people don’t want that.” His comments, reported by Royal Insider, reflect growing public unease about the commercialization and social impact of advanced AI technologies.
The coalition’s message arrives at a pivotal moment. The past few years have seen a rapid acceleration in AI capabilities, with tech companies vying to outpace each other in developing ever more powerful models. According to Max Tegmark, president of the Future of Life Institute and a professor at MIT, “AI has gone much faster in the last four years than most people predicted.” Tegmark’s group previously organized a 2023 letter calling for a temporary pause on the development of more advanced AI models—a call that, at the time, was largely ignored by major industry players.
This latest appeal aims to "stigmatize the race to superintelligence," as Tegmark put it, and to prompt government intervention if necessary. The coalition’s diverse roster of signatories is no accident; by including figures from across the political and cultural spectrum, the letter’s organizers hope to bridge divides and generate the kind of broad-based support needed to influence policy. The inclusion of conservative voices like Bannon and Beck, alongside progressive leaders and renowned scientists, is a deliberate attempt to reach the widest possible audience—including policymakers in Washington, D.C.
Despite the urgency of the appeal, not everyone in the tech world is eager to heed the call. Major AI developers, including Google, Meta, OpenAI, and Musk’s xAI, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The competitive pressures driving the AI arms race are immense, and as Tegmark observed, many executives feel "an irresistible pressure to keep going and not get overtaken by the other guy." The fear of being left behind in the next technological revolution is palpable—and it’s precisely this dynamic the coalition hopes to disrupt.
For Prince Harry and Meghan, the issue of AI safety dovetails with their broader advocacy for digital responsibility and child protection. Earlier this month, the couple received the Humanitarian of the Year award at the Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Gala in New York. Their foundation’s Parents Network is now partnering with ParentsTogether to build a coalition of families advocating for online safety. Citing research from ParentsTogether, Prince Harry noted that researchers posing as children experienced harmful interactions every five minutes when using AI chatbots. “This wasn’t content created by a third party. These were the companies’ own chatbots working to advance their own depraved internal policies,” he said, underscoring the real-world dangers posed by unregulated AI.
As the debate over AI superintelligence heats up, the coalition’s letter stands as a clarion call for caution, consensus, and public engagement. Whether it will succeed in slowing the relentless march toward superintelligent AI remains to be seen. But for now, the voices urging restraint are louder—and more united—than ever before.
