The AI industry is discovering that the public hates them

Politically motivated violence—including a Molotov cocktail attack on an AI company CEO's home and a shooting targeting a lawmaker who supported data centers—is emerging as a real threat, reflecting growing social backlash against the AI industry.

Gap Between Expert and Public Perception According to Stanford's 'Artificial Intelligence Index 2026,' about 70% of experts view AI's long-term economic effects positively, while only around 20% of the general public shares that view, revealing a significant gap. Gallup surveys also show rising anger toward AI among Gen Z, with a clear trend of perceiving AI as a project run by a small elite.

Controversy Over Infrastructure Expansion and Productivity Effectiveness The industry is demanding massive investment and data center expansion, but this is colliding with citizens' cost-of-living burdens, such as rising local electricity rates. Doubts are also growing over whether AI adoption actually translates into real profits and productivity.

• NBER study: 80% of companies that adopted AI have not felt any productivity gains.
• MIT study: 95% of corporate AI pilot programs have failed to generate revenue.

For the AI industry to achieve sustainability, transparent performance verification, acceptance of regulation, and the urgent development of concrete win-win measures with local communities affected by data center expansion are needed.