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FAQ

What is Pause AI ?

Pause AI France is a volunteer organization that raises awareness among French citizens and public authorities about the serious dangers that the AI race poses to human society, and encourages them to act at their level to oppose it.

Pause AI France is the French representation of Pause AI Global, which calls for a moratorium on the training of general AI systems (AGI) until all safety and democratic control conditions are met.

Why do we need to pause AI development ?

The development of increasingly powerful AI systems is accelerating rapidly. According to most AI safety experts, continuing this race without guardrails poses a catastrophic risk to humanity in the near term.

Unlike many technologies, AI has the potential to become more capable than humans in almost all cognitive domains. This creates unprecedented risks :

  • Loss of control : Systems optimizing for objectives in ways we did not anticipate
  • Concentration of power : A small group of people controlling technology far superior to all others
  • Existential risks : Scenarios where AI development threatens the survival or long-term flourishing of humanity

Isn’t AI already regulated ?

Current regulations are insufficient. While some countries have begun developing AI governance frameworks, they are largely reactive and behind the pace of technological development. No international agreement imposes binding limits on the development of the most powerful AI systems.

Isn’t pausing AI development technologically impossible ?

No. It is possible to pause or slow the development of the most powerful AI systems (those that require enormous computing resources to train). This would require international cooperation between governments to regulate access to advanced AI chips and training clusters.

This type of international coordination is possible — it has been achieved before for other dangerous technologies (chemical weapons, nuclear tests, etc.).

What about the benefits of AI ?

We recognize that AI has many beneficial applications in medicine, scientific research, education, and elsewhere. A pause on the most dangerous frontier AI systems would not prevent AI to be used for beneficial applications. Current AI systems, which are already very capable, can continue to be used and developed.

How can I get involved ?

Visit our Take Action page to discover how you can contribute to the movement, whether through advocacy, volunteering, or financial support.