On Sunday, a group of anti-robot protestors marched in the streets of Austin, home to the South by Southwest (SXSW) culture and tech festival, to highlight concerns about the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).

The group known as ‘Stop the Robots’ consists of more than two dozen undergraduates at the University of Texas at Austin.

The group cited concerns about the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and held signs that read ‘Stop the Robots’and ‘Humans are the future’. The protest group included 15 to 20 undergraduates and was led by 23 year-old computer engineer Adam Mason.

Mason cautioned against unrestrained reliance on technology and claims that AI might outrun human control. The group wants to give a clear message that technology should be used for good and risks posed by artificial intelligence to humanity should be understood.

The group’s members put matching blue T-shirts and marched on the Austin Convention Center with signs urging spectators to be cautious of AI.

The goal of ‘Stop the Robots’ hardly aims to destroy every robot, and advises the makers of these technologies to consider the implications of the systems they are creating.

Mason said, “We’re technologists that love technology and we foresee a future where technology is necessary for mankind”.

The protest turned out to be a success and won articles in publications as varied as USA Today, TechCrunch, and Infowars. A television segment about the group was run by Fox News.

Tesla founder Elon Musk and the scientist Stephen Hawking have also warned that the biggest existential threat is AI. Hawking said that AI has the potential to end mankind.