Open Letter Sparks Debate Over Safety of Superintelligent AI

by Jose Baixauli

On Oct. 22, 2025, the Future of Life Institute, a nonprofit focused on reducing the risks of advanced technology, released an open letter calling for a pause on the development of superintelligent AI.

The letter has already gathered over 31,000 signatures, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, AI pioneers Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, and even former White House strategist Steve Bannon. With so many influential voices agreeing, it raises an important question: why are so many people signing this letter, and should we consider signing it too?

The goal of the letter is straightforward: halt the creation of superintelligent AI until clear and enforceable safety standards exist. As the letter states, “We call for a prohibition on the development of superintelligence, not lifted before there is broad scientific consensus that it will be done safely and controllably, and strong public buy-in.”

The fact that such a statement is necessary is alarming on its own. It implies that the development of artificial intelligence has not been handled responsibly, and still isn’t today.

The reason is, unfortunately, predictable: profit. Major tech companies are locked in a race to build the most advanced systems possible, even though none of them have a reliable plan for how to control these technologies once they surpass human intelligence.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, once admitted, “I think AI will probably lead to the end of the world, but in the meantime, some great companies will be created with some serious machine learning.” When the person leading a top AI company openly says something like that, it should make everyone pause.

This debate goes far beyond tech politics. It affects all of us. Even in AI’s current form, it’s already shaping our everyday lives, influencing education, jobs, art, entertainment, and the information we see online. Without oversight, millions of jobs could be automated away, personal privacy could disappear entirely, and misinformation could spread faster than ever.

That doesn’t mean AI is inherently bad. With careful regulation and real safety standards, AI could make life easier, safer, and more efficient. That’s what makes this moment so important: we’re deciding not just how fast technology should evolve, but what kind of future we want to live in.

At Columbus, AI is not being ignored or treated as something to fear. Instead, the school has taken a balanced approach, teaching students how to use AI responsibly while still thinking for themselves. Teachers emphasize that AI can help with understanding ideas, organizing thoughts, or improving work, but it cannot replace original thinking or effort. The goal is not to ban the technology, but to prepare students to use it ethically in a world where it is becoming unavoidable.

Research supports this approach. A 2023 study from Stanford’s Human Centered Artificial Intelligence Institute found that students using AI tools with clear guidelines and teacher oversight showed significant learning gains compared to those who did not use them. The study concluded that AI works best when it supports learning rather than replaces it. In many ways, that is exactly what Columbus is aiming to do: use AI as a tool, not a shortcut.

So does the open letter matter right now?

Honestly, it’s hard to tell. AI development hasn’t slowed down, and the letter hasn’t forced any major changes, at least not yet. But what the letter represents is powerful. It shows that people are paying attention, concerned and demanding accountability.

Whether or not tech companies listen immediately, they can no longer pretend the world isn’t watching.