AI CEOs are fear-profiting

AI CEOs including OpenAI's Sam Altman and Palantir's Alex Karp are delivering stark warnings about AI's potential to disrupt society and eliminate jobs, even as they seek to sell their products. Only 26% of voters view AI positively according to an NBC News poll, making it less popular than ICE, while Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has warned AI could wipe out white-collar jobs and recently said he can't rule out that his product Claude may be conscious. White House AI czar David Sacks criticized these leaders for "scaring the bejeezus out of the public," though the doomsday messaging appears designed to attract investors by portraying AI as so powerful that only established companies can build it safely. Anthropic raised $30 billion in February at a $380 billion valuation after Amodei argued for building the most powerful AI with guardrails before competitors do. Several AI CEOs privately told Axios they fear an anti-AI backlash could fuel a "ban AI" movement heading into 2028, but they remain divided on how to craft a more positive public message.