OpenAI DevDay opens with protest outside venue; protesters in robot costumes chant
Protesters gathered outside OpenAI's DevDay conference in San Francisco to demonstrate against the company's contracts with ICE and its military involvement. The rally featured activists in robot costumes and chants criticizing CEO Sam Altman and the environmental impact of AI data centers.
Why it matters
The protest highlights growing public and activist scrutiny regarding the ethical implications of AI companies partnering with government and military agencies.
OpenAI's annual DevDay conference began with a protest outside the venue in San Francisco. Demonstrators marched in a circle chanting "Sam Altman, get off it, put people over profit" as attendees arrived for the opening keynote, The Verge reported.The rally, held outside Fort Mason, was aimed mainly at OpenAI's contract with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and its wider military and government work. Protesters also raised the environmental cost of data centres and the growing power of AI companies, on a day OpenAI planned to show off more than 20 products to roughly 2,500 attendees.More than a dozen groups backed the DevDay protestAccording to The Verge, the rally was sponsored by Bay Resistance, Tech Workers Coalition, Service Employees International Union, San Francisco Rising and the San Francisco Labor Council.
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