AI backlash escalates from protests to violence in US

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt (Eric Schmidt) mentioned artificial intelligence (AI) bringing about a "technological transformation" during his speech at the University of Arizona graduation ceremony on the 15th, but was met with loud boos from students in the audience, reflecting the negative perception of AI among the American public, which is rapidly rising faster than the industry's development, even evolving into violent incidents.

The Wall Street Journal reported on the 18th that recent polls show the public is full of concerns about AI. Consumers are dissatisfied with rising electricity prices due to the expansion of data centers, workers fear unemployment, and parents worry about its harm to children's psychology and education.

This anger has even escalated into violent incidents. In April, someone allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at the home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman; the home of Indianapolis city councilor Ron Gibson, who had just approved a data center project, was also shot at 13 times.

Experts point out that the deterioration of public opinion is unprecedented. Only 30% of Democrats and 50% of Republicans support accelerating AI innovation, far lower than the 77% of tech industry founders. AI anxiety is rapidly becoming a political issue affecting elections. In Festus, Missouri, four city council members were ousted by voters for approving a $6 billion data center project. Dozens of communities nationwide are trying to ban new data centers, and the number of Facebook groups opposing such facilities has quadrupled to 360,000.

The backlash has put AI companies, which have invested tens of billions of dollars, in a severe crisis. Data shows that last year, 48 data center projects were blocked or delayed due to local opposition, with a total value of about $156 billion; the first quarter of this year set a record with 20 projects canceled. The Texas Agriculture Commissioner recently called for a halt to new large data centers, citing the burden on the power grid. In addition, the NAACP has sued Musk's xAI, accusing it of illegally using gas turbines for power.

Facing strong public distrust, tech giants are investing hundreds of millions of dollars to deal with this public relations crisis. OpenAI's Head of Global Affairs, Chris Lehane, attributes this to "doomers" spreading fear and negative media reports. He emphasized that the industry must more actively explain the benefits of AI to the public.

However, facing opposition from some industry leaders who jokingly call them "cave people" (opposing all development), the AI industry still faces significant challenges in bridging the perception gap with the public.