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Max Tegmark

MIT physicist and co-founder of the Future of Life Institute

11 records

Portrait source: Web Summit, CC BY 2.0

Records

But creating the most powerful system does not always mean creating the system that best serves the well-being of the American people. Even if we “win” the global race to develop these uncontrollable AI systems, we risk losing our social stability, security, and possibly even our species in the process.

Max Tegmark

MIT physicist and co-founder of the Future of Life Institute

In a 2023 Senate forum statement, Max Tegmark wrote that racing to build uncontrollable AI could cost humanity its species as well as social stability and security.

Co-Founder and President of the Future of Life Institute; Professor of Physics at Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyOctober 24, 2023Second Bipartisan Senate AI Insight Forum: Innovation

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This is what “innovation” means to them. But creating the most powerful system does not always mean creating the system that best serves the well-being of the American people. Even if we “win” the global race to develop these uncontrollable AI systems, we risk losing our social stability, security, and possibly even our species in the process. Far from ensuring geopolitical dominance, the destabilizing effect of haphazard proliferation of increasingly powerful AI systems is likely to put the United States at a substantial geopolitical disadvantage, sewing domestic

What this quote does not say

  • The passage states a possibility rather than a numerical probability.
  • In the same statement, Tegmark said AI is not inherently bad and distinguished uncontrollable systems from narrow and controllable AI, whose benefits he supported.

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  • Quote located in the captured page; spacing normalised for display.

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Statements they signed

FROM THE SIGNED STATEMENT

One can imagine such technology outsmarting financial markets, out-inventing human researchers, out-manipulating human leaders, and developing weapons we cannot even understand.

Signed statement: “Transcendence Looks at the Implications of AI” (Hawking, Russell, Tegmark, Wilczek)

Max Tegmark

MIT physicist and co-founder of the Future of Life Institute

Signed as part of a group statement. Not spoken.

Max Tegmark co-authored “Transcendence Looks at the Implications of AI,” an article saying AI could bring enormous benefits or become humanity’s worst mistake unless its risks are avoided.

physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the author of 'Our Mathematical Universe'May 1, 2014Transcendence Looks at the Implications of AI

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Stuart Russell is a computer-science professor at the University of California, Berkeley and a co-author of 'Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach'. Max Tegmark is a physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the author of 'Our Mathematical Universe'. Frank Wilczek is a physics professor at the MIT and a 2004 Nobel laureate for his work on the strong nuclear force.

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  • The organiser's own roster lists this person as a signer.

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FROM THE SIGNED STATEMENT

AI systems must never be allowed to make life or death decisions, especially in military applications during armed conflict or peacetime, law enforcement, border control, healthcare or judicial decisions.

Signed statement: “Global Appeal for Peaceful Human Coexistence” (Rome working group)

Max Tegmark

MIT physicist and co-founder of the Future of Life Institute

Signed as part of a group statement. Not spoken.

Max Tegmark was listed as one of the 18 people who drafted the “Global Appeal for Peaceful Human Coexistence,” which says AI must remain under human control and calls for limits on superintelligence until it is broadly judged safe and controllable.

September 12, 2025Global Appeal for Peaceful Human Coexistence

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Ernesto Belisario 4. Abeba Birhane 5. Cornelius Boersch 6. Yuval Noah Harari 7. Geoffrey Hinton 8. Lorena Jaume-Palasí 9. Antal Kuthy 10. Riccardo Luna (Coordinator) 11. Nnenna Nwakanma 12. Valerie Pisano 13. Stuart Russell 14. Max Tegmark 15. Marco Trombetti 16. Jimena Sofía Viveros Álvarez 17. Alexander Waibel 18.

How this was checked

  • The organiser's own roster lists this person as a signer.

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an AI reviewer that read the whole source

FROM THE SIGNED STATEMENT

In the near future, AI may put high-consequence biological capabilities—potentially including the design of pathogens more dangerous than anything found in nature—within reach of actors who cannot access them today.

Signed statement: “IDAIS London Statement” (IDAIS)

Max Tegmark

MIT physicist and co-founder of the Future of Life Institute

Signed as part of a group statement. Not spoken.

Max Tegmark signed the “IDAIS London Statement,” which calls on governments and AI developers to prevent AI-enabled cyberattacks and biological attacks.

Professor, Center for Brains, Minds and Machines (CBMM) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) President and Co-founder Future of Life InstituteDate not establishedIDAIS London Statement

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(CHAI) University of California, Berkeley Craig Mundie President Mundie & Associates Fu Ying 傅莹 Xue Lan 薛澜 Dean, Schwarzman College Tsinghua University Director, Institute for AI International Governance (I-AIIG) Tsinghua University Max Tegmark Professor, Center for Brains, Minds and Machines (CBMM) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) President and Co-founder Future of Life Institute Robert Trager Director, Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative University of

What this quote does not say

  • Roster observed 2026-08-19; signing date unknown.

How this was checked

  • The organiser's own roster lists this person as a signer.

Reviewed by

an AI reviewer that read the whole source

FROM THE SIGNED STATEMENT

Taken together, we believe AI may pose an existential risk to humanity in the coming decades.

Signed statement: “IDAIS Oxford/Ditchley Statement” (International Dialogues on AI Safety)

Max Tegmark

MIT physicist and co-founder of the Future of Life Institute

Signed as part of a group statement. Not spoken.

Max Tegmark signed the “IDAIS Oxford/Ditchley Statement,” which calls for international coordination, independent safety checks, shutdown rules, and more research to keep advanced AI under human control.

Professor, Center for Brains, Minds and Machines (CBMM) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) President and Co-founder Future of Life InstituteDate not establishedIDAIS Oxford/Ditchley Statement

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and Computer Science Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Dawn Song Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences University of California, Berkeley Founder Oasis Lab Xin Chen PhD Student, ETH Zurich Max Tegmark Professor, Center for Brains, Minds and Machines (CBMM) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) President and Co-founder Future of Life Institute Elizabeth Seger Director of Digital Policy Demos Yi Zeng Professor and Director of

What this quote does not say

  • Roster observed 2026-08-19; signing date unknown.

How this was checked

  • The organiser's own roster lists this person as a signer.

Reviewed by

an AI reviewer that read the whole source

FROM THE SIGNED STATEMENT

These systems have also begun to display self-preserving behaviours, such as attempting to blackmail developers to avoid being replaced with a new version.

Signed statement: “IDAIS Shanghai Statement” (IDAIS)

Max Tegmark

MIT physicist and co-founder of the Future of Life Institute

Signed as part of a group statement. Not spoken.

Max Tegmark signed the “IDAIS Shanghai Statement,” which calls for independent safety checks, enforceable limits on AI behavior, and research to keep advanced AI under human control.

Professor, Center for Brains, Minds and Machines (CBMM) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) President and Co-founder Future of Life InstituteDate not establishedIDAIS Shanghai Statement

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Bowman Member of Technical Staff, Anthropic, PBC Associate Professor of Data Science, Computer Science and Linguistics New York University Max Tegmark Professor, Center for Brains, Minds and Machines (CBMM) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) President and Co-founder Future of Life Institute Dan Baer Dan Hendrycks Executive Director Center for AI Safety Advisor xAI Advisor Scale

What this quote does not say

  • Roster observed 2026-08-19; signing date unknown.

How this was checked

  • The organiser's own roster lists this person as a signer.

Reviewed by

an AI reviewer that read the whole source

FROM THE SIGNED STATEMENT

Like drugs, chatbots must undergo pre-deployment testing for increased suicidal ideation, exacerbation of mental health disorders, escalation of acute crisis situations, and other known harms.

Signed statement: “Pro-Human AI Declaration” (FLI/broad coalition)

Max Tegmark

MIT physicist and co-founder of the Future of Life Institute

Signed as part of a group statement. Not spoken.

Max Tegmark was listed as an individual endorser of the “Pro-Human AI Declaration,” which says people must remain in control of AI and calls for limits and oversight to keep AI serving humanity.

Date not establishedPro-Human AI Declaration

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Frances Fisher Actress, SAG-AFTRA, known for Titanic, Unforgiven, and Watchmen. Anthony Aguirre Future of Life Institute Max Tegmark Future of Life Institute Clark Barrett Professor of Computer Science, Stanford Moshe Vardi Professor of Computational Engineering, Rice University, Member: US National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Sciences David Autor

What this quote does not say

  • Roster observed 2026-08-19; endorsement date unknown.

How this was checked

  • The organiser's own roster lists this person as a signer.

Reviewed by

an AI reviewer that read the whole source

FROM THE SIGNED STATEMENT

However, these AI systems were built for commercial use. They are not yet reliable enough for many Joint Warfighting Functions without human oversight.

Signed statement: “National AI Reliability and Control Initiative” (AI Policy Network coalition)

Max Tegmark

MIT physicist and co-founder of the Future of Life Institute

Signed as part of a group statement. Not spoken.

Max Tegmark signed the “National AI Reliability and Control Initiative” letter, which asked Congress to fund $2 billion in research to make military AI trustworthy.

Co-founder, Future of Life InstituteDate not establishedNational AI Reliability and Control Initiative

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Plummer Former Senior Advisor, Office of the Secretary of Defense - Brendan Steinhauser CEO, Alliance for Secure AI - Professor Max Tegmark Co-founder, Future of Life Institute - Sam Hammond Chief Economist, Foundation for American Innovation - James Fickel Founder, Starbloom Capital and the Amaranth Foundation - Adam Gleave Founder and CEO, FAR.AI - Judd Rosenblatt CEO,

What this quote does not say

  • Roster observed 2026-08-19; signing date unknown.

How this was checked

  • The organiser's own roster lists this person as a signer.

Reviewed by

an AI reviewer that read the whole source

FROM THE SIGNED STATEMENT

Half of AI researchers estimate more than a 10% chance that AI could lead to human extinction or a similarly catastrophic curtailment of humanity's potential.

Signed statement: “Urging an International AI Treaty” (Tolga Bilge/AI Treaty team)

Max Tegmark

MIT physicist and co-founder of the Future of Life Institute

Signed as part of a group statement. Not spoken.

Max Tegmark signed “Urging an International AI Treaty,” which calls on governments to negotiate a treaty limiting advanced AI capabilities and establishing international oversight.

Professor, Future of Life Institute, MIT Center for Brains, Minds & MachinesDate not establishedUrging an International AI Treaty

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Montreal / Mila, Turing Award - Bart SelmanProfessor, Cornell University, Former President of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) - Max Tegmark Professor, Future of Life Institute, MIT Center for Brains, Minds & Machines - Gary MarcusCEO, Center for the Advancement of Trustworthy AI - Yi ZengProfessor, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Founding Director of Center for Long-term AI;

What this quote does not say

  • Roster observed 2026-08-19; signing date unknown.

How this was checked

  • The organiser's own roster lists this person as a signer.

Reviewed by

an AI reviewer that read the whole source

FROM THE SIGNED STATEMENT

What do we do with software agents that replace people in their jobs or impersonate people in their interactions?

Signed statement: “Foresight in AI Regulation” (FLI)

Max Tegmark

MIT physicist and co-founder of the Future of Life Institute

Signed as part of a group statement. Not spoken.

Max Tegmark signed “Foresight in AI Regulation,” which urges the European Commission to regulate high-risk AI and account for how more capable systems may affect people’s rights and safety.

MIT, Professor of Physics, co-founder of Future of Life Institute and Foundational Questions InstituteDate not establishedForesight in AI Regulation

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of Calabria, Italy, Professor of Computer Engineering Anca Dragan, UC Berkeley, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences Dorsa Sadigh, Stanford, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering Max Tegmark, MIT, Professor of Physics, co-founder of Future of Life Institute and Foundational Questions Institute Vincent Conitzer, Duke University, Kimberly J.

What this quote does not say

  • Roster observed 2026-08-19; signing date unknown.

How this was checked

  • The organiser's own roster lists this person as a signer.

Reviewed by

an AI reviewer that read the whole source

FROM THE SIGNED STATEMENT

It could bring risks, including large-scale job displacement, as well as opportunities such as major gains in living standards.

Signed statement: “We Must Act Now” (Stanford Digital Economy Lab/economists)

Max Tegmark

MIT physicist and co-founder of the Future of Life Institute

Signed as part of a group statement. Not spoken.

Max Tegmark was listed as a signer of “We Must Act Now,” a statement calling for incentives, guardrails, and institutions to steer powerful AI toward complementing people and benefiting society.

Date not establishedWe Must Act Now

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Surrounding words

Calzolari, European University Institute Jeff Wilke, Re:Build Manufacturing Jacques Crémer, Toulouse School of Economics Danny Yagan, University of California, Berkeley Beatrice Weder di Mauro, Centre for Economic Policy Research Max Tegmark, MIT Vinod Khosla, Khosla Ventures Benjamin Shiller, Brandeis University Oren Etzioni, University of Washington Martin Ford Oded Galor, Brown University Sarah Friar, OpenAI Marc L.

What this quote does not say

  • Roster observed 2026-08-19; signing date unknown.

How this was checked

  • The organiser's own roster lists this person as a signer.

Reviewed by

an AI reviewer that read the whole source