Pause House

Pause House is a residential advocacy initiative founded by Greg Colbourn and launched in October 2025 in Blackpool, UK. It is situated next door to CEEALAR (Centre for Enabling EA Learning and Research), which Colbourn founded in 2018 as an EA community hub. The premise of Pause House is to remove financial and logistical barriers for individuals who want to dedicate significant time to pushing for a global halt to the development of increasingly powerful AI systems. Residents at Pause House receive free accommodation, (vegan) food, and a £50 per week stipend if they are unable to support themselves financially. Those with income are asked to pay approximately cost price (around £20 per day). In return, all residents commit to spending at least 20 hours per week on work related to the AI pause cause, which may include campaigning, advocacy, or raising public awareness. The facility houses up to 12 residents across its bedrooms, including 4 en-suite rooms and 8 rooms with shared bathroom facilities. It also features a large communal work and social space, a dining room, a meeting room, a fully equipped kitchen, laundry facilities, and a small courtyard. Activities associated with Pause House include volunteering with and participating in campaigns from PauseAI, ControlAI, the Future of Life Institute (FLI), MIRI, and similar organizations; talking to members of the public about AI risk; organizing local meetings focused on political action; meeting with politicians; and hosting in-person strategy and coordination events. Colbourn himself is a donor to and advocate for the AI pause cause, and stepped down as Executive Director of CEEALAR around this time to focus more directly on moratorium advocacy.