Protesters gather at OpenAI’s DevDay
Protesters gathered at OpenAI's DevDay event to demonstrate against the company's military and government contracts, specifically citing ties to ICE. The rally featured various activist groups calling for ethical AI development and criticizing the industry's lack of regulation.
Why it matters
The protest highlights growing public and activist scrutiny regarding the intersection of AI development, government surveillance, and corporate ethics.
On Tuesday, OpenAI’s annual DevDay event began with protests, flyers, and chants. “Sam Altman, get off it, put people over profit,” said a group of protesters marching in a circle in front of a series of signs that spelled out “PEOPLE OVER PROFIT.”
More than a dozen organizations came together to sponsor a rally outside the entrance to the event venue at San Francisco’s Fort Mason, including Bay Resistance, Tech Workers Coalition, Service Employees International Union, San Francisco Rising, and the San Francisco Labor Council. A large orange sign read “Drop the ICE contract.” Multiple people dressed in cardboard robot costumes waved cardboard scythes around. Signs read “No killer robots for ICE,” “People over AI,” “Where is your moral codex?” and “No climate destruction.”
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