In a rare display of cross-aisle unity, hundreds of influential figures—including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, conservative firebrand Steve Bannon, and talk radio icon Glenn Beck—have signed a bombshell letter demanding a halt to the unchecked development of AI superintelligence. Released by the Future of Life Institute, the "Statement on Superintelligence" calls for prohibiting advancements until there's broad scientific consensus on safety, controllability, and overwhelming public support. As detailed in a Newsmax report, the signatories span the political spectrum, from right-wing stalwarts like Bannon and Beck to tech visionaries like Wozniak and British billionaire Richard Branson, alongside AI pioneers such as Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton and Turing Award winner Yoshua Bengio.

The letter warns of existential risks, including human obsolescence, erosion of freedoms, national security threats, and even extinction-level events if superintelligent AI spirals out of control. Polling cited in the document reveals only 5% of Americans favor rapid, unregulated AI progress, with 73% demanding robust regulations and 64% opposing superintelligence without ironclad safety proofs. This bipartisan chorus underscores a growing consensus: AI's breakneck pace poses grave dangers that transcend politics. Conservatives, long skeptical of Big Tech's overreach, see this as validation of their warnings about unregulated innovation leading to societal upheaval. Bannon, host of the "War Room" podcast, and Beck, a vocal critic of elite-driven agendas, joining forces with left-leaning tech figures like Wozniak—who has previously decried AI's potential for misuse—signals that the threat is too dire for partisan squabbles.  Continued below this next clip

Elon Musk: "I think we're quite close to digital superintelligence. It may happen this year, and if it doesn't happen this year, next year for sure." (Interview at Y Combinator, June 16, 2025)