In the heart of San Francisco’s tech corridor, a lone protester is waging a battle against what he sees as humanity’s most significant existential threat: uncontrolled artificial intelligence development. Guido Reichstadter, a 45-year-old activist, has entered his second week of a hunger strike outside Anthropic’s downtown office, demanding the company halt its pursuit of superintelligent AI.

Reichstadter’s protest targets one of the Bay Area’s most prominent AI companies, which recently achieved a staggering $183 billion valuation. His primary concern revolves around the potential catastrophic risks of developing artificial intelligence that could surpass human capabilities. Drawing from his background in mathematics and physics, he argues that the current AI development race poses unprecedented dangers to society.

The activist’s journey began after witnessing the explosive growth of AI technologies like ChatGPT. He believes the massive investments and concentrated efforts of top engineers worldwide create a perfect storm for potentially uncontrollable technological advancement. Reichstadter isn’t just sitting idle; he’s part of the civil disobedience group Stop AI and has previously engaged in protests targeting tech giants like OpenAI.

Despite Anthropic’s claims of being a safety-minded organization, Reichstadter views their efforts as a mere facade. The company, led by CEO Dario Amodei, has been relatively vocal about AI risks, even endorsing legislative transparency measures. However, Reichstadter remains unconvinced, arguing that no current plan can truly guarantee safe development of superintelligent systems.

His ultimate goal extends beyond Anthropic: he wants a global accord similar to the Outer Space Treaty that would effectively ban advanced AI development. Motivated by love for his children and a deep concern for humanity’s future, Reichstadter believes collective action can interrupt the tech industry’s relentless pursuit of more powerful artificial intelligence.

As tech companies continue pouring billions into AI research, Reichstadter’s hunger strike represents a bold, personal stand against what he perceives as an existential threat. Whether his protest will spark broader societal reflection remains to be seen, but his commitment underscores the growing tensions surrounding artificial intelligence’s rapid evolution.