Humans in Control

A nonpartisan grassroots movement of parents, workers, and neighbors calling for commonsense AI safety standards.

Zach is the Human in Control of this account.

[Jon Warnow @jwarnow]

so we just overhauled our homepage for @HumansInControl and i want to explain a few of the big changes we made...and get some feedback from all of you!

first up, here's the new "hero" section up top.

[Jon Warnow @jwarnow]

@rutgerbregman One thing people can do is join a growing grassroots movement! We're working on that over at @HumansInControl, there's something everyone can do!

[Humans in Control @HumansInControl]

Did you know that 99 senators agreed on something about AI? And people across the country are talking about A.I. to their neighbors on November 14th. Wanna join? comment REALITY CHECK and I'll DM you some info.

[Humans in Control @HumansInControl]

You're right - this is insane. Many Americans are worried, but they aren't organized. That's what we're trying to do. So we appreciate the shoutout Trevor.

To your point about informing the public – volunteers are giving 50+ talks in about 30 states this Saturday, explaining what these companies are building and what people can do about it. Folks can one near them: https://t.co/ZlxYpWf6UA

[Irreplaceable @ir_replaceable_]

This Saturday, Nov. 14, we’re joining @HumansInControl for free community conversations about the real impacts of AI and what we can do to take back control.

[Jon Warnow @jwarnow]

this was a crazy week in AI, but i don't think most people tracked quite how big it was. here are the highlights, and read to the end to find out about two helpful things coming up this saturday that anyone can join 🧵

[Trevor Levin @trevposts]

Having just spent the week in San Francisco, I feel like I've truly internalized the insanity of this situation for the first time. I think anyone who has seen me in the last few days can attest that I look like I've seen a ghost.

The leading AI companies are planning to massively accelerate AI research in 2027, which would knowingly endanger everyone on earth. This plan is unacceptable, and we must reject it.

Borrowing from one advocate I spoke to, even granting that it's a competitive, crazy situation, I do not believe any company has even truly tried to do what I think are the morally required duties of people taking such risks in extreme situations. These include:
(1) Trying hard to get out of the competitive situation;
(2) Seeking the informed consent of the public;
(3) Honest deliberation about the risks.

They have obviously not truly tried to solve the coordination problems that push towards this acceleration, either via finding legal ways to coordinate or advocating for effective policy.

I would be shocked to learn that getting off this insane runaway train is a top-few Q4 priority for Dario or Sam (let alone the other CEOs), which seems like the bare minimum. There are indeed some hard technical and policy problems in coordinating without policy intervention, but I simply do not believe that the companies are prioritizing this nearly as much as massively less important matters.

Meanwhile, the companies' track records on policy advocacy range from mediocre to disgraceful, and it is pretty clearly not the top priority of the policy team at any company to advocate for regulation that would enable the government or the companies to avert racing off the cliff.

They have obviously not truly tried to seek informed consent from the public. Whatever your KPIs might be for "informed consent from the public," these KPIs are abysmal. The public clearly does not expect 100 years of AI progress in 2027, and they would not accept it if they did. What they do know about AI development, they dislike and distrust.

I've heard arguments like "informing the public would mean informing China, and maybe they'd steal the weights." I'm sorry, but if you think you have model weights such that China stealing them would constitute a catastrophe on par with human extinction, and your plan is security by obscurity, that is a bad plan.

I also think the companies and their employees suffer from a significant failure of imagination of what kinds of coordination could be possible if the public were aware.

Finally, I don't think they're deliberating honestly, either. For one, I think it is insane to think that any company can truly evaluate its own ability to keep the process of recursive self-improvement under control. The biases towards "yes" are overwhelming.

It's a step forward that the companies have expressed or demonstrated openness to external auditors, but based on METR's reports so far, it seems likely that auditor reports will be heavily redacted (and that the auditors will not have sufficient time by default). The public and broader scientific community are not able to scrutinize their arguments for safety.

Given the strong default (in my view) that bringing a massive number of minds massively faster and smarter than humans would result in our disempowerment, and the serious danger that this would result in mass death, it is unacceptable to subject arguments for safety only to the scrutiny of biased, busy, and scarce company insiders and a handful of external evaluators.

My pleas for the companies follow from the above:
1) Actually fucking try to get the world out of this race;
2) Actually fucking try to alert and inform the public;
3) Actually fucking try to scrutinize your own arguments for the justifiability of this plan, which includes subjecting them to way more external scrutiny than anyone has currently done.

My pleas for policymakers: use your legal levers to get much more information about these plans into the public view. Make it the top priority -- not only of the next Congress, but of this Congress and the White House -- to understand the situation in its full strategic complexity, and work with technical and policy experts to advance regulation that gets us out of this bind. Domestic coordination must be the first priority, but we need to then quickly develop an international framework with our adversaries.

My pleas for the public: do not accept the current plan. Learn about this issue. Call or email your political leaders. Get involved with organizations like @DONOTACCEPTai, @HumansInControl, and @WhoDecidesAI.

And finally: believe in ourselves that we can stop this. It is never time to "panic" -- to make rash, unproductive decisions or to feel paralyzed by fear. It is time for us to feel the urgency and the stakes, to demand better, and to meet the moment. Let's do this. 🫡 ✊

[Humans in Control @HumansInControl]

AI Reality Check is 4 days away.

This Saturday, neighbors in towns across the country are sitting down for an hour to talk about what's going on with AI and what we can do about it together.

Just bring yourself. Find one near you: https://t.co/gvby5ykcLS

[Humans in Control @HumansInControl]

Even though Volvo made the design for seatbelts free to use, they weren't universally implemented in the US until congress passed a law.

We can't rely on every AI company to do the right thing. But it's not too late to pass common sense guardrails for AI.

Day 7/14 with timetravelwithrii as she spends the next 14 days doing a deep dive on what happened the last time we were sold the future. On Nov 14, she’s explaining AI to her neighbors, and you can host a talk too.

[Humans in Control @HumansInControl]

https://t.co/TKoI1o53R6

[Humans in Control @HumansInControl]

Did you know pressure from independent scientists eliminated lead from gasoline and saved millions of lives?!

But we don't have to wait for a disaster to create laws that hold AI companies accountable.

Day 7/14 with timetravelwithrii as she spends the next 14 days doing a deep dive on what happened the last time we were sold the future. On Nov 14, she’s explaining AI to her neighbors, and you can host a talk too.

[Humans in Control @HumansInControl]

https://t.co/X0vqZtXJUa

[Humans in Control @HumansInControl]

AI bots are stealing jokes from real comics, and turning them into fake sexed-up avatars.

It's killing artists livelihood, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. The same technology is used for scams, manipulation, and eroding the trust of society.

The solution? Create connections in the real world, face to face. Support artists at live performances, and join us for the AI Reality Check on November 14. Find a location near you.

Please show some love to the REAL comics that have been victims of these bot accounts. This video features @JuliaJasunas @MandyMartino @SiennaHubertRos and our guest @DominicSyracuse

[Humans in Control @HumansInControl]

https://t.co/TKoI1o53R6

[Humans in Control @HumansInControl]

Did you know a 1911 factory fire led to industrial safety laws in New York?!

But we don't have to wait for a disaster to create laws that hold AI companies accountable.

Day 4/14 with timetravelwithrii as she spends the next 14 days doing a deep dive on what happened the last time we were sold the future. On Nov 14, she’s explaining AI to her neighbors, and you can host a talk too.

[Humans in Control @HumansInControl]

https://t.co/TKoI1o53R6

[Humans in Control @HumansInControl]

Did you know a 1983 movie led to the first presidential directive on computer security?! Day 3/14 with timetravelwithrii as she spends the next 14 days doing a deep dive on what happened the last time we were sold the future. On Nov 14, she’s explaining AI to her neighbors, and you can host a talk too.

[Jon Warnow @jwarnow]

in many ways, AI just had its first real election...and i kind of think the results should make politicians across the country snap to attention. feels like something big is happening here.

56% of voters said AI and data centers were a crucial or major factor in how they voted. 🧵

[Humans in Control @HumansInControl]

https://t.co/HsdalIbQBZ

[Humans in Control @HumansInControl]

Did you know a 1983 movie led to the first presidential directive on computer security?! Day 2/14 with @timetravelwithrii as she spends the next 14 days doing a deep dive on what happened the last time we were sold the future. On Nov 14, she’s explaining AI to her neighbors, and you can host a talk too.