Wynd Kaufmyn turned herself in to San Francisco authorities on Friday to begin a one week jail sentence. She is thought to be the first person jailed anywhere for protesting against artificial intelligence.
Kaufmyn is a retired teacher from Berkeley, California. She is 69 years old and has a long history of political activism.
In February 2025, she joined other members of the group StopAI in a sit-in at OpenAI's headquarters. The activists chained and locked the front doors to block entry.
A jury convicted her in June on several charges. These included interfering with a business, trespassing, unlawful assembly, and refusal to disperse at a riot.
What Happened at Sentencing
Sheriff's officers handcuffed Kaufmyn outside the courthouse on Friday. Fellow activists sang a protest song as she was led away.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said the verdict sent a message that protesters cannot endanger public safety to make a point. Kaufmyn's supporters shouted "Free Wynd" as she left the courtroom.
Kaufmyn said she does not see herself as a martyr. She said her goal was to sound an alarm about the risks of advanced AI.
She had argued in court that her actions were necessary to prevent greater harm. The jury rejected that defense.
David Kreuger, an AI safety researcher at the University of Montreal, said Kaufmyn could be remembered as "the Rosa Parks of AI risk." Rosa Parks was jailed in the 1950s for refusing to give up her bus seat during the civil rights movement.
Reaction From the AI Safety Community
Stuart Russell, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, testified in Kaufmyn's defense. He said OpenAI had deployed systems without proper safeguards.
Russell argued that further AI development should require proof of safety that does not currently exist. He said Kaufmyn was being punished for standing up for a reasonable belief.
The protest took place as several large AI labs, including OpenAI and Anthropic, reported incidents involving their models. Meta also reported a security incident with one of its models.
This week, Senator Bernie Sanders called on tech leaders to pause AI development. He cited concerns that the technology could be used to create dangerous bioweapons.
More than a thousand researchers at leading AI labs signed a letter this summer. The letter warned that AI capabilities could grow faster than humans can understand or control them.
Kaufmyn's group, StopAI, has also faced internal problems. Co-founder Sam Kirchner went missing last November following a dispute over whether the group should use nonviolent tactics only.
Kaufmyn said her message to the leaders of OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta was to "regain your humanity." She said she wants ordinary people to push for a global ban on developing superintelligent AI.
She is now preparing for a week behind bars. Kaufmyn has been jailed before for short periods tied to decades of activism on causes including nuclear disarmament and Palestine.
OpenAI has been approached for comment on the case.
