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Co-Founder of Anti-AI Group Stop AI Vanishes After Being Expelled; SFPD Flags Him 'Armed and Dangerous'

July 11, 2026 at 23:05 EDT

Policy & Regulation
Security

Sam Kirchner, a 27-year-old co-founder of the radical anti-AI activist group Stop AI, has been missing since around November 21, 2025, after being expelled from the organization over an alleged violent altercation—prompting San Francisco police to circulate an internal bulletin describing him as "armed and dangerous" and OpenAI to briefly lock down its San Francisco offices.

November 21, 2025 · AI Safety Activism

Anti-AI Activist Vanishes, Deemed "Armed and Dangerous"

Sam Kirchner, 27, co-founder of the radical group Stop AI, has been missing for roughly two weeks after being expelled over an alleged violent altercation — prompting a police bulletin and a temporary lockdown of OpenAI's San Francisco offices.

Age of the missing Stop AI co-founder

~2 wks

Missing since around November 21

~400

Members on the group's Discord server

Two Movements, Two Demands

PAUSE

PauseAI

Temporary halt until safety is assured — moderate

STOP

FOREVER

WORLDWIDE

Stop AI

Permanent, worldwide ban on superintelligence — militant

A more radical offshoot demanding not a pause, but a permanent stop.

How It Unfolded

Alleged altercation
Kirchner accused of demanding money and striking the group's leader, causing a suspected concussion.

→

Expelled
Removed under the group's strict no-violence policy; publicly declares he is "no longer part of Stop AI."

→

Alarm raised
Members alert police and AI companies; SFPD bulletin calls him "armed and dangerous," OpenAI locks down offices.

Current Status

A bench warrant has been issued; his whereabouts remain unknown as police investigate.

Left behind his laptop and phone, but took his bicycle

Previously arrested in Feb 2025 blockading OpenAI's HQ door

Some members believe he may be living outdoors

Movements Distance Themselves

PauseAI and others move quickly to reaffirm their rejection of violence; Stop AI signals a rethink toward a more hopeful message.

A Credibility Flashpoint

Cited as an extreme case of AI "doomerism" that risks damaging the wider safety movement — the fragile line between radical protest and dangerous conduct.

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