← Back to articles

Superintelligence is coming. Should we let it?

2026-09-09 | original

read original get Nick Bostrom "Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies → more articles

Why This Matters

A TechCrunch Equity episode features Connor Leahy, now U.S. Executive Director of ControlAI, arguing that superintelligent AI shouldn't just be aligned or contained but blocked from being built at all. It matters because 'don't build it' is moving from fringe to policy conversation, with recent safety incidents like OpenAI's Hugging Face breach cited as evidence that control mechanisms are shaky.

Key Takeaways

AI firms frame superintelligence as inevitable; ControlAI wants development halted outright.
Leahy argues alignment and containment alone can't manage the risks anymore.
A wave of new legislation is making once-fringe restriction proposals mainstream.

Worth a Look

Nick Bostrom "Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies — If this Equity episode on halting superintelligence development piqued your interest, Bostrom's Superintelligence is the book that framed the whole debate about control, alignment, and what happens when machines outpace us. It's the natural deep-dive companion to Connor Leahy's arguments about why containment alone may not be enough.

See Nick Bostrom "Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.

Loading the player…

AI companies have been talking about superintelligent AI like it’s inevitable, but recent safety incidents like OpenAI’s Hugging Face breach are demonstrating the potential dangers of deploying AI systems that are more capable than humans. So what happens when we can’t reliably control what these systems do?

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan is joined by Connor Leahy, an AI researcher, entrepreneur, and now the U.S. Executive Director of nonprofit ControlAI, which is pushing for a far more radical approach to AI safety: stopping companies from developing superintelligence altogether. Leahy explains why he thinks the risks have become too great to manage through alignment and containment alone, and how what sounded far-fetched six months ago is now being backed by a wave of new legislation.

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.

Explore topics: superintelligence openai connor leahy controlai ai safety