# Banning Superintelligence Means Trying to Ban Mathematics by Emad Mostaque > "A few decades ago, the United States government tried to ban encryption, and it was shown that banning encryption implicates free speech because you are trying to ban mathematics. Superintelligence is mathematics, and banning it should be unconstitutional because mathematics is free speech." > **— Emad Mostaque**, *MOONSHOTS Live, September 25, 2026* ## Sources and Context - **Recording and precise locator:** [31:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk7hdOwJj4&t=1871s) — MOONSHOTS Live, September 25, 2026. - **Exact reconciled source object:** “A few decades ago, the United States government tried to ban encryption, and it was shown that banning encryption implicates free speech because you are trying to ban mathematics. Superintelligence is mathematics, and banning it should be unconstitutional because mathematics is free speech.” - **Editorial status:** The poster preserves the source-faithful object, including visible bracketed repairs and omissions where present. - **Reconciled source dossier:** [[research/Jensen Pushes Back on Doomers Moonshots Live|Jensen Pushes Back on Doomers Moonshots Live]] preserves transcript order, speaker attribution, editorial conventions, and the surrounding argument. - **Weekly promotion dossier:** [[research/Weekly Reminder Hunt - 2026-10-02|Weekly Reminder Hunt — October 2, 2026]] records why this object was selected for permanent promotion. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Immediate AI Risk Is the Public|The Immediate AI Risk Is the Public]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Emad Mostaque|Emad Mostaque]] - [[wiki/AI Risk Tradeoffs|AI Risk Tradeoffs]] - [[wiki/Innovation Chilling Effect|Innovation Chilling Effect]] - [[wiki/Defensive Co-Scaling|Defensive Co-Scaling]] ## Share on Social Media ``` "A few decades ago, the United States government tried to ban encryption, and it was shown that banning encryption implicates free speech because you are trying to ban mathematics. Superintelligence is mathematics, and banning it should be unconstitutional because mathematics is free speech." — Emad Mostaque, MOONSHOTS Live, September 25, 2026 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-mostaque-banning-superintelligence-means-trying-ban-mathematics ```