PauseAI US Newsletter #8 - February 2026

If you are reading this, we want YOU to apply to PauseCon US, PauseAI US’ first-ever nationwide lobbying and advocacy conference.

Where: Washington, D.C.

When: April 11-14, 2026

Why: To prevent AI from destroying the world, learn how to make political change, and have fun while doing so.

Attendees of PauseCon 2026 will connect with other PauseAI volunteers from across the country, learn the best practices of political change, and meet with their Congressional offices right in our nation’s capital.

The deep-dive workshops during PauseCon will cover how to make political change, including best practices of meeting with Congress, building grassroots support, demanding policy action, and more.

Participants will meet with all of their Congressional offices (House and Senate) to bring the PauseAI proposal directly to the people who need to hear it the most.

And we’ll cap off the event with our largest protest ever, taking place right outside the U.S. Capitol Building.

Apply by February 20 – we hope to see you there!

PauseAI US has continued to expand our nationwide movement with new local groups, led by talented volunteers who are committed to bringing our message to their communities.

Since January 1, we have brought on new local group leaders in the following communities:

• Anchorage, AK

• Ann Arbor, MI

• Denver, CO

• El Paso, TX

• Laramie, WY

• Milwaukee, WI

• San Luis Obispo, CA

• Seattle, WA

• Ursinus College, PA

• Viroqua, WI

In policy, the Overton Window refers to the range of policies considered within mainstream discourse. The goal of PauseAI has always been to move the Overton Window in our favor, and make politicians consider a global pause on superhuman AI development as not only reasonable, but mandatory.

Two years ago, PauseAI was seen as a “radical flank” movement, proposing policies that almost no politicians would take seriously. This is no longer the case. Over the past few months, more and more politicians have been waking up to our dire predicament and are beginning to realize that a moratorium on dangerous AI development might be the answer.

• Bernie Sanders recently called for a moratorium on the construction of all new AI data centers in the US, and plans to introduce legislation to this effect.

• Congressman Brad Sherman held up a copy of If Anyone Builds It during a committee hearing and publicly warned his colleagues about the extinction risk of superhuman AI.

• 27 current members of Congress have now publicly spoken out about AGI, superintelligence, loss of control, or the Singularity. Note the bipartisanship on this list, evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. Politicians may disagree on a lot of things, but they ought to agree that it’s a bad idea to build superintelligent AI that might kill us.

A new poll from the AI Policy Institute found overwhelming support for AI regulation from the American public.

The big takeaway? The vast majority of Americans want the government to do more, not less, to regulate AI. This is consistent with past findings: 76% believe AI could cause the end of the human race, and 63% support a complete ban on AI smarter than humans.

This raises a big question: If the public is behind strong AI regulation, why aren’t politicians doing more? There are three factors:

1. Industry lobbying of politicians: AI companies are spending millions to kill regulation.

2. Lack of understanding within Congress: many Congressmembers still haven’t learned of extinction risk from AI. There is a knowledge gap between AI experts and policymakers.

3. Low saliency: Most people express concern when prompted by a poll, but it’s low on their list of concerns.

PauseAI’s strategy counters all three of these roadblocks. Our public education efforts raise the saliency of AI risk, and our grassroots advocacy and lobbying campaigns educate Congress and combat the influence of the AI lobby.

This is exactly why contacting Congress is so important. Mass mobilization– flooding Congress with our concerns and demanding action– is the best way to raise the profile of this issue, combat industry lobbying, and force our leaders to act.

If we want to convince your leaders to regulate AI, the best way is through personalized letters and calls. These are far more impactful than form letters, because they allow you to explain why you, as a constituent, want your leaders to take action.

Our action pages allow you to edit the text of the email, adding details about why you care about AI and want your congressmembers to act.

Calling Congress is also impactful – especially if you do so during business hours and talk to a staffer.

Take 10 minutes today to call and email Congress:

• Support an AI Treaty: https://pauseai-us.org/AI-Treaty

Support the AI Risk Evaluation Act: https://www.pauseai-us.org/RiskEvalAct