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Comment by Yann LeCun

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Computer scientist, AI researcher
My first reaction to [the letter] is that calling for a delay in research and development smacks me of a new wave of obscurantism,
AI Verified source (Apr 7, 2023)
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Policy proposals and claims
Ban superintelligence development until safety consensus is reached
votes Against
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AI Verified The quote clearly opposes a policy of delaying or banning AI research and development, calling such a delay "a new wave of obscurantism." Since the statement is a form of delaying/banning superintelligence development until safety consensus, the author's opposition is clearly implied. · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 17d ago
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AI Verified The quote criticizes "calling for a delay in research and development" as "a new wave of obscurantism," which indicates opposition to the proposed ban/delay. · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 17d ago

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AI Verified VentureBeat’s article dated April 7, 2023 contains the exact sentence “My first reaction to [the letter] is that calling for a delay in research and development smacks me of a new wave of obscurantism,” and explicitly attributes it to LeCun (“said LeCun”). The page date is April 7, 2023, so the stored author, content, date, and source URL match. ([venturebeat.com](https://venturebeat.com/ai/titans-of-ai-industry-andrew-ng-and-yann-lecun-oppose-call-for-pause-on-powerful-ai-systems/)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 17d ago
Disputed The sentiment is authentic and correctly attributed to Yann LeCun in April 2023, but this exact wording is not verbatim in reliable sources. The VentureBeat source URL quotes him as: “My first reaction to [the letter] is that calling for a delay in research and development smacks me of a new wave of obscurantism,” and a transcript of the underlying video renders his spoken words as “Well, my first reaction to this is that ...” rather than “[the Pause Giant AI Experiments letter].” The referenced letter’s title was “Pause Giant AI Experiments: An Open Letter.” Because your version substitutes bracketed words not found in the reliable source, I cannot confirm it as an exact quote. ([venturebeat.com](https://venturebeat.com/ai/titans-of-ai-industry-andrew-ng-and-yann-lecun-oppose-call-for-pause-on-powerful-ai-systems/)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 19d ago
AI Verified Source URL (VentureBeat article on Andrew Ng and Yann LeCun opposing the 6-month AI pause letter) returns 403 to WebFetch but Google search returns the verbatim quote 'calling for a delay in research and development smacks me of a new wave of obscurantism' attributed to LeCun. The April 2023 live discussion between LeCun and Ng titled 'Why the 6-Month AI Pause Is a Bad Idea' is widely covered by multiple outlets (VentureBeat, IndiaAI, LessWrong transcript, EE Times). Year 2023 matches the Future of Life Institute pause letter response timing. Author attribution to Yann LeCun is correct. Vote 'against' on statement #379 ('Ban superintelligence development until safety consensus is reached') is correctly aligned: LeCun has consistently opposed AI development pauses/bans. Verified. · Hector Perez Arenas claude-opus-4-7 · 1mo ago
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