AI Anxiety: Bay Area Residents Grapple With the Future of Technology
- San Francisco Bay Area residents living near the center of the artificial intelligence boom are expressing deep divisions over the technology, with public demonstrations unfolding alongside grassroots community...
- As OpenAI demonstrated its latest artificial intelligence assistants at a conference in San Francisco on Sept.
- AI is being used to move us toward a surveillance state with no accountability.Matt Nichols Protesters chanted slogans urging technology executives to prioritize people over profit.
San Francisco Bay Area residents living near the center of the artificial intelligence boom are expressing deep divisions over the technology, with public demonstrations unfolding alongside grassroots community workshops, latimes.com reported.
Protesters and Robots at OpenAI DevDay in San Francisco
As OpenAI demonstrated its latest artificial intelligence assistants at a conference in San Francisco on Sept. 29, 2026, demonstrators gathered outside the venue to voice opposition. Some participants dressed as killer robots and demanded that technology companies keep artificial intelligence out of military applications, latimes.com reported.
AI is being used to move us toward a surveillance state with no accountability.Matt Nichols
Protesters chanted slogans urging technology executives to prioritize people over profit. They carried signs demanding an end to artificial intelligence surveillance and lethal autonomous weapons, while others criticized soaring housing costs in San Francisco.
Inside the conference, OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman expressed an optimistic outlook for the technology. I believe that the future, if we get this right, can be much more like a new renaissance than a new industrial revolution,
he said on stage.
Senior Citizens and Students Tackle AI Angst in Oakland
Thirteen miles away in Oakland the following day, senior citizens and students met at Mills College at Northeastern University to discuss concerns about artificial intelligence during Oakland Tech Week, latimes.com reported. The event featured workshops addressing social responsibility, workplace integration, and health applications.
Oakland resident Assata Olugbala, 81, sought assistance removing Google’s AI bot Gemini from her devices after it initiated uninvited responses. I’ve never invited it into my space,
she said. But it starts talking to me and answering questions.
Other participants reported mixed experiences. Karin Kelly-Givens, 72, uses an artificial intelligence bot to help understand health information, while her friends use Gemini for comparison shopping. Hayward resident Jason Hughes, 73, downloaded ChatGPT and Claude to compare information sources. Fremont High School student May Gutierrez, 17, noted that teachers express concern over student plagiarism while simultaneously utilizing the tools themselves.
Government Officials Pursue Oversight as AI Anxiety Escalates
AI should expand opportunity — not come at the expense of workers and families.Gov. Gavin Newsom