Founders making glib comments about AI likely ending the world, even in jest, creates genuine fear and opposition among the public. This humor backfires, as people facing job automation and rising energy costs question why society is pursuing this technology at all, fueling calls to halt progress.

The primary source of employee anxiety around AI is not the technology itself, but the uncertainty of how leadership will re-evaluate their roles and contributions. The fear is about losing perceived value in the eyes of management, not about the work itself becoming meaningless.

Surveys show public panic about AI's impact on jobs and society. However, revealed preferences—actual user behavior—show massive, enthusiastic adoption for daily tasks, from work to personal relationships. Watch what people do, not what they say.

Widespread fear of AI is not a new phenomenon but a recurring pattern of human behavior toward disruptive technology. Just as people once believed electricity would bring demons into their homes, society initially demonizes profound technological shifts before eventually embracing their benefits.

AI leaders' messaging about world-ending risks, while effective for fundraising, creates public fear. To gain mainstream acceptance, the industry needs a Steve Jobs-like figure to shift the narrative from AI as an autonomous, job-killing force to AI as a tool that empowers human potential.

AI leaders often use dystopian language about job loss and world-ending scenarios (“summoning the demon”). While effective for fundraising from investors who are "long demon," this messaging is driving a public backlash by framing AI as an existential threat rather than an empowering tool for humanity.

The gap between AI believers and skeptics isn't about who "gets it." It's driven by a psychological need for AI to be a normal, non-threatening technology. People grasp onto any argument that supports this view for their own peace of mind, career stability, or business model, making misinformation demand-driven.

Resistance to AI in the workplace is often misdiagnosed as fear of technology. It's more accurately understood as an individual's rational caution about institutional change and the career risk associated with championing automation that could alter their or their colleagues' roles.

By openly discussing AI-driven unemployment, tech leaders have made their industry the default scapegoat. If unemployment rises for any reason, even a normal recession, AI will be blamed, triggering severe political and social backlash because leaders have effectively "confessed to the crime" ahead of time.