PauseAI
- Type
- Civil society organisation
- Place
- International — International (volunteer network with national and local chapters)
- Last checked
- 2026-09-22
- Next check due
- 2027-03-21
Ways to reach them
- Discord — the organisational hub; anyone can join and start contributing immediately
This route is retained as reference only. Its verification is missing, more than 180 days old, or the contact window is not currently open; do not rely on it until it is re-checked.
- Local communities directory — find or start a chapter
This route is retained as reference only. Its verification is missing, more than 180 days old, or the contact window is not currently open; do not rely on it until it is re-checked.
- Join page
This route is retained as reference only. Its verification is missing, more than 180 days old, or the contact window is not currently open; do not rely on it until it is re-checked.
- Contact form
- Homepage
- Action page
What it does
Volunteer grassroots movement calling for a halt to development of the most powerful general AI systems until safety is assured, and for 'a prohibition on the development of superintelligence, not lifted before there is broad scientific consensus'. Organises protests, lobbying days, letter-writing and local meetups; maintains extensive public explainer material.
What they ask for — in their own terms
Stop the development of the most powerful general AI systems, internationally, until we know how to make them safe.
What they do
Federation of local chapters coordinated by a global entity; petitions, protests, an email-your-representative builder, lobbying guides, 'microcommits' (weekly bite-sized actions), microgrants and volunteer stipends.
Honest assessment
Maximally open — a volunteer can join the Discord today and be organising within a week. That openness is also its limit: it has little institutional access, and its confrontational framing means mainstream policy bodies keep it at arm's length. Good for mobilisation, poor for a targeted escalation.
What a newcomer can do
Sign the PauseAI statement and the 'Say No To Superintelligent AI' petition (5 minutes), join the Discord, then use the email builder to write to your representative.
Worth knowing
The ask is a halt to frontier development, not tighter rules. Protest-based but explicitly lawful — distinct from StopAI. Chapters vary a lot in activity; check your local one is alive before committing.
Concerns it covers
Existential risk from uncontrolled AI as the headline, but notably broader in its public messaging than MIRI or ControlAI — it also cites job displacement, democratic erosion and economic instability as reasons to pause.
Government channel
Weak-to-moderate — organises lobbying days and has met individual legislators, but has no formal channel and is treated as an outside-game actor.
Tips
No formal tip line; contact form and Discord
Where they work
International. Legally Stichting PauseAI (KvK 92951031), Netherlands. Local communities in many countries.
Size
Small paid core (CEO, Organizing Director, Communications Director; chapter directors paid by PauseAI Global) plus a large volunteer base. Budget not published.
Spending
Not disclosed. Accepts donations at pauseai.info/donate.