A field guide to AI positions

Yoshua Bengio

Sources used: First-hand material and reporting or indirect copies.

The map position is our interpretation of the public statements below. Read the method.

Position, range and evidence details

Preferred pace: -62; stated catastrophic-risk concern: 50. These are layout units, not percentages or rankings.

Pace range: -85 to -35; concern range: 25 to 85. Ranges show alternative editorial interpretations, not statistical confidence intervals.

Evidence clarity: medium. Basis: mixed. Implementation: public-advocacy.

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What this position covers

Superintelligence restriction, not a ban on every AI application or safety research. [1] [2] [3]

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What to keep in mind

Conditional superintelligence restraint is reported separately from his directly read account of control risks. His research proposal is not a proven safety solution. [1] [2] [3]

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What they say about the pace of AI

Reported signatory of the conditional superintelligence prohibition. [1]

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What they say about the pace of AI

The statement makes safety consensus and public support conditions for lifting the prohibition. [2]

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What they say about catastrophic risk

Warns about deception, self-preservation and loss of human control while proposing safety research. [3]

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LawZero introduction

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The wider picture

Supports restraint on superintelligence and research aimed at retaining human control. [1] [3]

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Two different kinds of evidence

The prohibition endorsement is reported; his concern about loss of control is stated directly in his LawZero announcement. Neither establishes a numerical risk estimate. [1] [3]

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https://theaiatlas.org/people/bengio/

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Sources and what we read

  1. 1. Harry and Meghan join AI pioneers in call for ban on superintelligent systems

    Used only to corroborate Yoshua Bengio's signature and the scope of that statement, not to attribute every listed concern to him.

  2. 2. Statement on Superintelligence

    The statement text was accessible. The dynamic signatory list was not exposed in the retrieved text; Bengio's signature is corroborated separately.

  3. 3. Introducing LawZero

    Read the author's announcement, including his loss-of-control concerns. Describes his argument and research goals, not proof that the proposed approach is safe.

Edition and machine-readable evidence

Content version 0.19.0. Evidence cutoff 2026-09-15; this does not mean every source was read on that day.

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