OpenAI is pivoting to porn while public sentiment turns decisively against AI. Pew Research shows Americans are now concerned over excited by a 2:1 margin. We trace how we got here: broken promises of cancer cures replaced by addiction mechanics and expensive APIs. Meanwhile, data centers are hiding a near-recession, straining power grids, and literally breaking your household appliances. Drawing parallels to the 1970s AI winter, we argue the bubble is shaking and needs to pop now, before it becomes another 2008. The good news? Grassroots resistance works. Protests have already blocked $64 billion in data center projects.
NOTE: The project that we cite for the $64 billion blockage is actually a pro-data-center campaign. The numbers still seem ok, but it's worth being aware of.
Chapters
- (00:00) - - Introduction
- (06:45) - - The Addiction Business Model
- (10:15) - - Public Sentiment Data
- (22:45) - - Data Centers and Infrastructure Problems
- (36:30) - - The Bubble Discussion
- (44:36) - - Closing Thoughts & Outro
Links
Public Sentiment on AI- Pew Research report - How People Around the World View AI
- Pew Research report - How the U.S. Public and AI Experts View Artificial Intelligence
- Pew Research report - How Americans View AI and Its Impact on People and Society
- University of Toronto report - Trust, attitudes and use of artificial intelligence: A global study 2025
- Melbourne Business School report - Key findings on public attitudes towards AI
- The Washington Post article - Americans have become more pessimistic about AI. Why?
- The New York Times article - From Mexico to Ireland, Fury Mounts Over a Global A.I. Frenzy
- The Guardian article - ‘It shows such a laziness’: why I refuse to date someone who uses ChatGPT
- The Register article - OpenAI's ChatGPT is so popular that almost no one will pay for it
AI and Claims of Curing Cancer
- Rachel Thomas, PhD blogpost - “AI will cure cancer” misunderstands both AI and medicine
- The Atlantic article - OpenAI Wants to Cure Cancer. So Why Did It Make a Web Browser?
- Independent article - ChatGPT boss predicts when AI could cure cancer
- The Atlantic article - AI Executives Promise Cancer Cures. Here’s the Reality
AI Porn and the Addiction Economy
- Forbes article - ChatGPT Will Allow ‘Erotica’ After Easing Mental Health Restrictions, Sam Altman Says
- The Addiction Economy website
- PPC article - OpenAI is staffing up to turn ChatGPT into an ad platform
- Tom Nicholas video - Vape-o-nomics: Why Everything is Addictive Now
AI Bubble
- Fast Company article - AI isn’t replacing jobs. AI spending is
- Pivot to AI article - The finance press finally starts talking about the ‘AI bubble’
- Fortune article - Without data centers, GDP growth was 0.1% in the first half of 2025, Harvard economist says
- The Atlantic article - Just How Bad Would an AI Bubble Be?
- The New York Times article - Debt Has Entered the A.I. Boom
- Will Lockett's Newsletter article - AI Pullback Has Officially Started
- Reuters article - Michael Burry of 'Big Short' fame is closing his hedge fund
- Business Insider article - The guy who shorted Enron has a warning about the AI boom
Datacenters
- Bloomberg article - AI Needs So Much Power, It’s Making Yours Worse
- Data Center Watch report - $64 billion of data center projects have been blocked or delayed amid local opposition
- More Perfect Union video - We Found the Hidden Cost of Data Centers. It's in Your Electric Bill
- DataCenter Knowledge article - Why Communities Are Protesting Data Centers – And How the Industry Can Respond
Fighting Back
- Knight First Amendment Institute essay - AI as Normal Technology
- Pranksters vs. Autocrats chapter - Laughtivism: The Secret Ingredient
- SPSP article - Playing with Power: Humor as Everyday Resistance
- Blood in the Machine article - The Luddite Renaissance is in full swing
