A Brief Guide to Anti-AI Activist Groups

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Useful background for understanding civil society and activist perspectives in the AI governance ecosystem; relevant to those tracking non-governmental actors shaping AI policy debates.

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Summary

An overview of prominent anti-AI and AI-pause activist organizations, examining their goals, membership, tactics, and ideological foundations. The piece maps the landscape of civil society groups pushing for AI development slowdowns or bans, providing context for understanding grassroots opposition to frontier AI development.

Key Points

•Profiles major activist organizations including Stop AI, PauseAI, and ControlAI, distinguishing their specific demands and approaches.
•Examines the ideological motivations behind these groups, ranging from existential risk concerns to broader societal and labor concerns.
•Documents tactics used by anti-AI groups such as protests, lobbying, and public awareness campaigns.
•Situates these activist movements within the broader AI governance debate alongside industry and government stakeholders.
•Provides a reference for understanding the range of civil society voices influencing AI policy discussions.

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ControlAI	Organization	63.0

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# A brief guide to the groups protesting over AI

### The differences between Stop AI, PauseAI, ControlAI, and more

[Shakeel Hashim](https://substack.com/@shakeelhashim)

Nov 28, 2025

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[![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pl4Q!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F611aad36-9526-404e-a7dc-0177efc3582d_5648x3766.jpeg)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pl4Q!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F611aad36-9526-404e-a7dc-0177efc3582d_5648x3766.jpeg) _PauseAI activists outside the UK Parliament. Credit: PauseAI_

Activism opposing various aspects of AI might, from the outside, all look the same. But dive deeper, and you’ll soon discover internecine conflicts, surprising alliances, and vastly different tactical approaches. In the wake of alleged violent threats made towards OpenAI employees last week, the spotlight has turned to the activist groups opposing the current course of AI. Here’s your guide to who’s who.

#### Stop AI

The most radical of the groups — and the one reportedly linked to last week’s OpenAI incident — is Stop AI. Stop AI was founded in 2024 by Sam Kirchner and Guido Reichstader, growing out of an informal “No AGI” hashtag on social media.

The group is best known for “civil disobedience”: in February, three Stop AI protestors, including Reichstadter, were [arrested](https://x.com/StopAI_Info/status/1893564175139643814) after they blocked the doors of OpenAI’s offices. Reichstadter was [also](https://sfstandard.com/2025/09/14/hunger-strike-ai-anthropic-google/) one of three people to go on a hunger strike outside AI company off

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