AI pause – Definition & Meaning

Definition of AI pause

: a proposal to temporarily halt specified development or training of increasingly capable AI systems while safety measures, evaluation methods, or governance rules are established
- The proposal called for an internationally coordinated AI pause above a defined computing threshold.
- Critics questioned whether an AI pause could be verified without driving advanced development into less transparent settings.

Two meanings, one word

In everyday English

A pause is a temporary stop or interruption.

In AI

A proposal to temporarily halt specified development or training of increasingly capable AI systems while safety measures, evaluation methods, or governance rules are…

Origin & history

first known use2023

The phrase became prominent after the Future of Life Institute published an open letter on March 22, 2023 calling for a public, verifiable six-month pause in training AI systems more powerful than GPT-4. Later proposals have used different capability thresholds, durations, and enforcement mechanisms.

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Related terms

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Cite this entry

"AI pause." AI Dictionary, Dadgogo, https://dadgogo.com/dictionary/ai-pause/. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.