Big Tech AI public trust crisis

A column by J.B. Branch, director of federal AI governance at Public Citizen, argues that the American public has grown deeply suspicious of Big Tech's AI initiatives due to years of perceived extraction, copyright infringement, job displacement fears, and broken promises. The article notes that despite PR campaigns such as Meta's workforce academy, Anthropic's Claude Corps, and OpenAI-Microsoft teacher training partnerships, public trust remains low. The piece criticizes tech executives like Sam Altman for their dismissive attitudes and highlights the extractive nature of the AI business model, which concentrates benefits among billionaires while communities bear costs.