Tens protest outside OpenAI conference in San Francisco
Protesters urged OpenAI to end contracts with the U.S. military and ICE and called for stricter regulation of AI companies.
Tens of activists staged a demonstration outside OpenAI’s developers conference at Fort Mason in San Francisco, demanding the company sever ties with the Trump administration and certain government agencies.
Protesters marched, chanted and held banners in front of the conference venue, calling on OpenAI to end contracts with the U.S. military and with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They also pressed for stricter oversight of firms that develop artificial intelligence.
Voices from the rally
Jane Martin, an organizer with Bay Resistance, told the crowd the technology’s current effects are already harmful. “The impact that artificial intelligence already has, without even considering the future, is bad enough on its own. It is being used to create chaos in the climate and to undermine workers' standards. We believe there can be technology that helps working people and builds a better future for coming generations. But without proper regulation, we don't see that happening.”
Another activist, Juan Wang of Bay Resistance, highlighted the range of issues attendees were raising, from housing to utilities and jobs: “You can see that there are people here from many different walks of life. There are people talking about the impact of AI on them as tenants, people talking about its effect on water supply, electricity, bills and jobs. We say that decisions about this technology, which has such significance for all our lives, should be made by ordinary working people. We should have a say too.”
The demonstration comes amid broader calls in Silicon Valley for government action to set guardrails around advanced AI systems. According to protesters, those safeguards should include limits on military and immigration-enforcement uses of the technology.
At the same time, former President Donald Trump has opposed proposals for expanded government oversight of AI. On the same day as the protest he was scheduled to meet with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Photo: press material from the event
