How AI Fears Turned into Aggression: Why Industry Leaders Are Changing Their Rhetoric
After a series of attacks on OpenAI's leadership, the company is calling for restraint in discussions about the risks of artificial intelligence. However, analysts believe that it was the developers' own years-long apocalyptic predictions that provoked the radicalization of part of society.
Attacks on Top Managers
In April 2026, two incidents involving OpenAI CEO Sam Altman occurred. 20-year-old Daniel Moreno-Gama threw an incendiary device at Altman's home, then broke into OpenAI headquarters, damaging property. During his arrest, a document with anti-AI statements was found. Two days later, shots were heard near Altman's home; an investigation is underway. These events prompted OpenAI's head of global policy, Chris Lehane, to issue a statement that public debate about AI should become more responsible.
Double Game of Industry Leaders
The problem, according to experts, is that the tech leaders themselves have cultivated the image of AI as an existential threat for years. Sam Altman as early as 2015 suggested that AI development could lead to the end of the world. In 2023, he signed an open letter about the risk of extinction. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned about the possibility of creating biological weapons using AI and about authoritarian regimes using the technology.
Now that fear has turned into violence, the same companies are trying to shift the focus to the practical benefits of AI. Chris Lehane calls for discussing how AI improves everyday life, work, and education. However, critics point out that such a turn looks like an attempt to evade responsibility for the previously created atmosphere of fear.
Conflict with Society and the State
The rhetoric of AI leaders has created a paradoxical situation. On one hand, they demand soft regulation from the state; on the other, they themselves admit that their technologies could be catastrophic. In any other industry, a statement about creating a tool capable of destroying the world would lead to immediate government intervention. Instead, AI companies continue to lobby for minimal restrictions.
Particular concern is raised by AI's impact on the labor market. Company leaders warn of mass layoffs in intellectual fields, but at the same time push for reduced regulatory burdens. Elon Musk proposed a "universal high income" as a solution, but critics remind that he previously advocated for cutting government spending and criticized social benefits. Such contradictions undermine trust in the promises of tech leaders.
What Matters
- The attacks on Sam Altman forced OpenAI to reconsider its public rhetoric about AI.
- Industry leaders have used apocalyptic scenarios for years to attract investment, leading to the radicalization of part of society.
- Companies demand soft regulation, even though they themselves admit the potentially catastrophic risks of their technologies.
- Issues of the labor market and social inequality remain without clear solutions, despite loud statements.
- The contradictory position of AI companies undermines trust from both society and regulators.
Context and Consequences
The current situation shows that the AI industry has fallen into the trap of its own narrative. For a long time, company leaders used the language of catastrophe to attract the attention of investors and politicians. Now that fear has spiraled out of control, they are trying to steer the discussion back to a pragmatic course. However, according to analysts, restoring trust will be difficult: society remembers the warnings, and aggression is merely an extreme manifestation of those fears.
— Editorial Team
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