Earlier this year, Pew released a poll on artificial intelligence and found a wide enthusiasm gap between experts in the field and the public, and the public is less keen about this new technology. Shocker.
We’ve all seen the movies where AI takes over the world, goes completely berserk, becomes a killing machine or what have you. “The Matrix,” “2001 a Space Odyssey,” and, of course, “The Terminator,” to name a few — and today, let’s be honest, aren’t we all just sort of bracing ourselves for the day when these films could be re-classified from sci-fi to documentary?
I jest. Kind of. Some of the things you read about “innovations” in AI and tech are getting a little scary.
I’ve thought for quite some time that concerns held by many in the general public about this nascent technology could be alleviated if the people in charge actually seemed decent and reasonable types with the public’s best interests at heart. Yet, they absolutely do not.
The most well-known tech CEO is Elon Musk. While I supported Musk’s efforts to reduce the size of the federal government and shrink our national debt, which is an existential threat to our country, his tenure at the White House didn’t end well.
Musk basically first took on the entire Democratic establishment to help get Donald Trump and Republicans elected and secure some early wins. Then, just a few months later, he went anti MAGA-verse in a nasty and public feud with the president over the One Big Beautiful Bill, among other things.
The result: Musk has managed to alienate both Democrats and Republicans, and his brands are paying a price. A poll shows how Musk’s brands, X (formerly Twitter) and Tesla, have taken a severe hit.
Not surprisingly, the poll also found that consumers are leery of Meta, which Mark Zuckerberg runs. Zuckerberg had a famous feud with Musk when the two agreed to fight each other in a cage match, which never happened. Does it get more arrogant? And these guys are in charge of our media and social networks? Controlling billions of dollars? Dictating trends for our children? Are you following me here?
This arrogance is not just limited to tech titans. Other tech billionaires are also ruffling feathers because of their behavior. Knowing of my disdain for these people — and fear of them — a friend recently mentioned Austin McChord to me. McChord is a tech entrepreneur known for information technology solutions that millions rely on to protect their information.
In 2018, McChord sold his company to a private equity firm for $1.5 billion. After he approved the company’s $6.2 billion sale that put an additional billion or so in his pocket, the billionaire began criticizing the deal and the new owner and started a new firm to compete with his old one. In other words, make billions to complain about the agreement you made to make those billions. This is a big deal in that IT world — and further proof of how billions of dollars create CEOs who operate in ways that can alienate regular folks.
Ultimately, it’s hard to say how public perception is going to affect these arrogant billionaires who are wielding an awful lot of power over the future of humanity, at least at the moment.
The poll that showed that Musk and Zuckerberg have reputational problems also found that companies like Netflix, Microsoft and Google have a high level of trust with the public. Ted Sarandos, Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai tend to avoid controversy and overt politics. They act a little more like thinking grown-ups. I have faith that while they are maybe a little offbeat on occasion, I can generally trust them not to do oddball stuff that’ll ultimately result in my coming face-to-face with a Terminator during my lifetime.
Grow up, tech titans. Stop being so arrogant. It’s good business to behave responsibly, and it’s also essential for our country.
