AI needs Guardrails
AI is one of the most powerful tools humanity has ever created. It's also the most unregulated. Deepfakes, cyber threats, job losses, threats to our very existence - and Congress has yet to pass a single AI safety law protecting Americans from the risks of artificial intelligence.
Contain AI seeks to
- •Build Public Awareness
- •Organize & Form Broad Coalitions
- •Apply Political Pressure
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The People Building AI Are Warning Us
They built these systems. Now they're telling the world to slow down.
I am a little bit afraid of what we're building. That's the right emotion to have.
Sam Altman
CEO, OpenAI
There's a very real chance we're building one of the most dangerous technologies in human history. The responsible path forward requires treating it that way.
Dario Amodei
CEO, Anthropic
These things are getting smarter than us. I don't think people appreciate how big a risk this is. I left Google so I could speak freely about it.
Geoffrey Hinton
Nobel Laureate, "Godfather of AI"
There is no agreement to limit AI, and so there is currently an AI acceleration... that could kill us all.
Elon Musk
CEO, Tesla, SpaceX, xAI
Our Story
We are a group of people who came together with a shared concern: the most transformative technology of our era is being developed with minimal public input or oversight.
Our founders are business people in the software and consulting industry that are concerned with the potentially catastrophic downsides of AI. We've been involved in implementing AI systems and educating others on how to use them. And we're very aware of what the risks are.
Contain AI is a 501(c)(4) corporation - we're not a charity, we're an advocacy group. We're not here to produce research or policy papers, but we have extensive information on AI throughout the site and in our Research Library if you'd like to learn more about the issues. Our focus is action - mobilizing a movement to contain AI before it's too late.
We're starting from scratch and funding Contain AI with our own money, and we're not connected to any political party or corporate interest. We will be relying on both large and small donations going forward. We have big goals, and we're not interested in limited results because the stakes are too high for all of us.
Finally, we recognize the fear and anger that AI is generating as well as the excitement around these powerful new AI tools. Several states have passed laws, but Congress is doing what it usually does about serious issues - nothing. It's clear that many of our elected representatives are interested in one thing only - getting re-elected. So we intend to make containing AI an issue at the ballot box for each and every one of them, regardless of party affiliation. We'd be honored for you to join us in this fight.
Where We Stand
We are not against technology. We are against unchecked power. Here is what we believe, and what we are fighting for.
AI Is the Most Powerful Technology Ever Built
We do not exaggerate when we say this. Artificial intelligence has the potential to reshape every aspect of human life - from how we work, to how we govern, to how we understand ourselves. That power demands proportionate responsibility.
The Public Has Been Left in the Dark
A small number of corporations and research labs are making decisions that will affect billions of people, with minimal transparency, no democratic mandate, and little meaningful oversight. Meanwhile, the enormous financial gains from AI are flowing almost entirely to a handful of shareholders and executives, while the workers displaced by it are left with nothing.
The Risks Are Real and Already Here
We are not talking about science fiction. Algorithmic bias is already denying people jobs and loans. Autonomous drones have been deployed. Mass surveillance is already being scaled. And the most powerful systems are still ahead of us.
Governance Must Include Everyone
The people who will live with the consequences of AI must have a meaningful say in how it is developed and deployed. This cannot be left to industry self-regulation or closed-door policy discussions among technologists and executives. Communities, workers, families, and everyday citizens deserve seats at the table where decisions about their futures are being made.
We Demand Transparency, Accountability, and Containment
We demand that AI systems be open to independent audit and public scrutiny. We demand that the companies and individuals who build and deploy these technologies be financially responsible for any harms they may cause. And we demand that the most dangerous capabilities - autonomous weapons, mass surveillance, and systems beyond human control - be contained, restricted, and subject to democratic oversight before they are unleashed on society.
History Proves Containment Is the Most Viable Path
Nuclear fission, recombinant DNA, algorithmic trading, and encryption were all deemed too dangerous to leave unchecked, and too valuable to ban. In every case, society chose containment: strict oversight, independent audits, and democratic guardrails that let innovation proceed safely. AI is no different. The technology is too transformative to abolish and too hazardous to deregulate. The precedent is clear, the playbook exists, and the time to apply it is now.
“The question is not whether AI is changing our lives.
The question is whether We the People will have any say in how.”
FAQ: AI Regulation & Accountability
Clear answers to the questions we hear most, about AI safety legislation, corporate AI power, and how citizens can demand change.
Contact your Representative
Call or email your elected officials and demand they act now to establish federal AI oversight before the window closes.
Find Your RepSign the Open Letter to Congress
Join thousands calling on Congress to pass enforceable AI safety standards and put democratic oversight ahead of corporate profit.
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