World first: 69-year-old activist sent to prison for protesting AI in the US

Wind Kaufmin, a 69-year-old activist from the organization StopAI, has become the first person to be sent to prison for protesting against AI. In February 2025, she blocked the entrance to OpenAI's office in San Francisco. A jury found her guilty and sentenced her to 14 days in prison, rejecting the defense of 'extreme necessity'. Kaufmin stated: 'I should not be the one in prison.'

Wind Kaufmin, a 69-year-old activist and member of the organization StopAI, has reportedly become the first person in the world to be sent to prison for a protest directly against the development of artificial intelligence. In February 2025, she, along with other activists, blocked the entrance to OpenAI's office in San Francisco using chains and locks, stating that the race to create superhuman AI (ASI) threatens humanity. A jury found her guilty on four counts, including unlawful entry and failure to disperse, and sentenced her to 14 days in prison. The defense was based on the principle of 'extreme necessity', but the jury was not convinced. Kaufmin herself stated: 'I should not be the one in prison.' She began serving her sentence this week. Professor Stuart Russell from the University of California, Berkeley, testified as a defense witness. The article notes that StopAI's radical scenarios are far from scientific consensus, but the fact of a prison sentence itself indicates a shift in the public discourse around AI.