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\t\t\tIllustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins \/ Futurism. Source: Kevin Dietsch \/ Getty Images\n\t<\/p>\n
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These days, it\u2019s not enough to sit and watch as AI destroys a generation of students<\/a>, makes it impossible to find a new job<\/a>, and generates military targets by the thousands<\/a> \u2014 you gotta be grateful for it, too.<\/p>\n That, at least, is the attitude of the tech elites who\u2019ve spent years pushing AI on the masses, only to find the public is in no such mood. As the New York Times observed<\/a> over the weekend, the particular characteristics of what some have called the \u201cAI bubble\u201d diverge from similar moments in economic history in one key way: practically everybody hates it.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t really remember a boom with such active hostility to it,\u201d William Quinn, co-author of the 2020 history tome \u201cBoom and Bust: A Global History of Financial Bubbles,\u201d told the NYT. \u201cPeople usually find new technology exciting. It happened with electricity, bicycles, motorcars. There were fears but also hopes. AI is notable, perhaps unique, for the lack of enthusiasm.\u201d<\/p>\n As consumer sentiment goes from sour to moldy, the CEOs behind the bubble only seem to be doubling down.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s extremely hurtful, frankly,\u201d said Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang in a January interview<\/a> about the \u201cbattle of [AI] narratives.\u201d<\/p>\n Huang insisted that AI is suffering a \u201clot of damage\u201d from \u201cvery well-respected people who have painted a doomer narrative, end-of-the-world narrative, science fiction narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has concurred, lamenting pushback against the \u201cdiffusion, the absorption\u201d of AI in broader society. \u201cLooking at what\u2019s possible, it does feel sort of surprisingly slow,\u201d he said at the recent Cisco AI Summit<\/a>.<\/p>\n While AI boosters could argue we\u2019re simply living under the tyranny of a vocal, AI-hating minority, evidence suggests the public\u2019s aversion runs deep \u2014 and not just against the tech itself. As one Pew Research survey<\/a> from 2025 found, about 60 percent of respondents said they\u2019d like \u201cmore control\u201d over how AI is used in their lives, while only 17 percent are \u201ccomfortable\u201d with AI remaining in the hands of a few tech billionaires.<\/p>\n Consumer data paints an even more dramatic story. In mid-2025, when mainstream analyst<\/a> firms<\/a> were still parroting uncritical AI hype before investor sentiment turned cold<\/a> in December, the number of US AI users who regularly paid for the privilege stood at a whopping 3 percent<\/a>.<\/p>\n If even those who do actively use AI aren\u2019t even willing to pay for it, maybe the real issue isn\u2019t John Q Public\u2019s attitude, but the tech itself.<\/p>\n