Superintelligence is coming. Should we let it? | TechCrunch Disrupt 20

Superintelligence is coming. Should we let it? | TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: OpenAI, Anthropic, Replit, and more take over 6 industry stages. 25% off tickets now Back by popular demand: Save up to $300 on Disrupt Close AI Superintelligence is coming. Should we let it? Theresa Loconsolo 9:05 AM PDT · September 9, 2026 41 min Loading the player… AI companies have been talking about superintelligent AI like it’s inevitable, but recent safety incidents like OpenAI’s Hugging Face breach are demonstrating the potential dangers of deploying AI systems that are more capable than humans. So what happens when we can’t reliably control what these systems do? On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan is joined by Connor Leahy , an AI researcher, entrepreneur, and now the U.S. Executive Director of nonprofit ControlAI , which is pushing for a far more radical approach to AI safety: stopping companies from developing superintelligence altogether. Leahy explains why he thinks the risks have become too great to manage through alignment and containment alone, and how what sounded far-fetched six months ago is now being backed by a wave of new legislation. Subscribe to Equity on YouTube , Apple Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads , at @EquityPod. Topics AI , AI regulation , Hugging Face , superintelligence Theresa Loconsolo Audio Producer Theresa Loconsolo is an audio producer at TechCrunch focusing on Equity, the network’s flagship podcast. Before joining TechCrunch in 2022, she was one of 2 producers at a four-station conglomerate where she wrote, recorded, voiced and edited content, and engineered live performances and interviews from guests like lovelytheband. Theresa is based in New Jersey and holds a bachelors degree in Communication from Monmouth University. You can contact or verify outreach from Theresa by emailing theresa.loconsolo@techcrunch.com . View Bio October 13 – 15 San Francisco Don’t miss out . The startup community will gather to answer a pivotal question: How do you build sustainably in the AI era? REGISTER NOW Most Popular OpenAI fought dirty on career-making math problem, says NYU mathematician Russell Brandom A secret new Elizabeth Holmes documentary stuns Telluride Connie Loizos TechCrunch Mobility: Tesla Cybercab hits the road — and a snag Kirsten Korosec Hikers rescued after using Google Gemini for planning Anthony Ha Feds launch investigation into Tesla’s Cybercab deployment Sean O'Kane Kirsten Korosec Tesla is asking people if they want to buy and run Cybercab fleets Kirsten Korosec OpenAI launches Astra, its powerful (and controversial) new model Lucas Ropek Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news TechCrunch Daily News Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage. TechCrunch AI TechCrunch's AI experts cover the latest news in the fast-moving field. TechCrunch Space Every Monday, gets you up to speed on the latest advances in aerospace. Startups Weekly Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly. No newsletters selected. Subscribe By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . Related AI Apple CEO John Ternus says the best AI device is still the iPhone Sarah Perez 5 hours ago AI ‘Gambling with our lives’: Anthropic researcher quits, warns against self-improving AI Rebecca Bellan 8 hours ago AI Mistral raises €3B as sovereign AI becomes big business Anna Heim 1 day ago