Violent Backlash: What the Sam Altman Attacks Signal for AI

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
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**SPEAKER_2** (0:32)
K-Pop Demon Hunter's Saja Boys Breakfast Meal and Huntrix Meal have just dropped at McDonald's. They're calling this a battle for the fans. What do you say to that, Rumi?

**SPEAKER_3** (0:41)
It's not a battle. So glad the Saja Boys could take breakfast and give our meal the rest of the day.

**Brian Merchant** (0:46)
It is an honor to share.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:48)
No, it's our honor. It is our larger honor. No, really, stop.
You can really feel the respect in this battle. Pick a meal to pick a side.

**SPEAKER_5** (0:59)
Bada bada bada bada.

**SPEAKER_3** (1:00)
Participating in McDonald's, what supplies last?

**SPEAKER_6** (1:03)
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**Ed Elson** (1:32)
Today's number, 12,000. That's how many comments Trump received on an image he posted of himself depicted as Jesus before it was taken down. According to the president, he meant to be portrayed as a doctor. That was right after he called the Pope weak and terrible. And in other news, panic on Wall Street as traders prepare for the rapture.
If money is evil, then that building is hell.
Welcome to Prof G Markets. I'm Ed Elson. It is April 15th. Let's check in on yesterday's market vitals.
The major indices rose as President Trump signaled he was open to talks with Iran. That pushed the NASDAQ to its 10th straight gain, while the S&P 500 came close to a record high. Oil prices fell below $100 a barrel. Bank stocks were mixed after earnings. Wells Fargo fell 5 percent, while Citigroup rose nearly 3 percent. We'll be breaking down all those bank earnings on tomorrow's episode. And finally, Amazon shares rose nearly 4 percent after the company acquired Starlink's biggest competitor, Globalstar.
Okay, what else is happening? AI has a popularity problem and it is now getting violent. Last week in Indiana, a local councilman's home was shot at 13 times after he voiced support for a data center project in his town, a sign reading, quote, no data centers was left at his door. Then Sam Altman, the OpenAI CEO, was targeted twice in the same weekend. A man threw a Molotov cocktail at his home on Friday and threatened to burn down OpenAI San Francisco headquarters. Police recovered a document from the suspect warning of humanities, quote, impending extinction from AI, as well as a list of names and addresses of CEOs and investors of AI companies. The 20-year-old has been charged with attempted murder and faces a second count of attempted murder for the security guard who was at Altman's house, separately two people were arrested for firing shots at Altman's house on Sunday. These attacks are an extreme manifestation of the rising anti-AI sentiment in the US. Among 31 countries surveyed, Americans reported the lowest level of trust in their own government to regulate AI at just 31 percent, and people are now acting on that distrust. In just two years, $64 billion of data center projects have been blocked or laid due to local opposition. So, here to discuss these disturbing headlines and AI's general popularity problem in this country, we are having another panel discussion with two experts. We've got Bradley Tusk, founder and CEO of Tusk Ventures and Brian Merchant, tech journalist and author of the Blood in the Machine Substack. Bradley and Brian, thank you very much for joining me on the show here. Bradley, I'll start with you. I mean, this news of Sam Altman, two attacks in the span of just a few days, it really is just a striking example of this growing feeling in America that I've talked about, I know you've talked about, and that is a lot of people just don't like AI at this point. What do you make of this news and what does it say about this moment?