Opposition to artificial intelligence (AI) is intensifying in both America and Europe. A recent incident occurred in the US capital, Washington, where demonstrators infiltrated the OpenAI office to protest the rapid development of AI. According to a report by Futureism, demonstrations took place in the lobby of the OpenAI office in Washington, lasting about two hours, resulting in the arrest of 13 students.
This protest goes beyond a typical demonstration outside one company's office. Recently, there has been growing dissatisfaction with various aspects of AI in the US and Europe. Some fear job losses, others are concerned about the use of their creative works, and a third group opposes the massive data centers being built for AI due to their high consumption of electricity and water.
Previously, in March 2026, protesters marched past the headquarters of OpenAI and Elon Musk's xAI in San Francisco. According to Reuters, they demanded a halt to AI development.
The demonstration in Washington was triggered by concerns over the rapid impact and potential damage posed by AI. Protesters argue that the pace of creating new AI technologies is outpacing the development of corresponding regulations and safety measures by governments. This is why various groups opposing AI in the US are now directing their demands against the offices of companies, government institutions, and data center projects.
In March, protests also took place in San Francisco near the facilities of OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind. In July, people associated with StopAI marched against these companies in San Francisco, questioning the speed of AI development.
The most significant reason for the backlash against AI is the threat of job displacement. A study conducted at King's College London in 2026 showed that about seven out of ten people are concerned about the economic consequences of job loss due to AI. Fifty-seven percent of respondents believe that AI could lead to mass unemployment, and about twenty-two percent think that AI could destroy jobs so quickly that it would cause social instability.
Fear is particularly high among youth and junior professionals. The study noted that six out of ten people believe AI could seriously affect entry-level office positions. This fear is not limited to employees. Governments in Europe are also discussing how to preserve people's jobs in the age of AI and how to provide employees with new skills.
The second major front of protest involves artists and content creators. AI models require huge amounts of data for training, which can include books, photographs, music, articles, and other internet content. Artists and writers ask: if their work is used to train AI models, why are they not given permission or paid?
In Europe, this issue has become so serious that the European Parliament has emphasized the need for new norms regarding AI and copyright. The Parliament's report states that existing rules are insufficient for using copyrighted works in AI training, and calls for greater transparency from AI companies and better protection of creators' rights.
Writers also protested in March by publishing a book in the UK whose pages were blank, although the authors' names were listed on it. The goal of this act was to demonstrate that if AI companies are allowed to use others' work without permission, the future of real authors and their creativity will be threatened.
A similar protest was observed in the music industry: over a thousand artists released an album containing only the sounds of empty studios, as a reaction to the use of artists' works in training AI models.
A new front of protest has opened up in the US related to AI data centers. AI models require colossal computing power, leading to the construction of giant data centers. These centers require a very large amount of electricity and water, causing concern among local residents. Some residents suffer from noise emanating from the data centers, while others suffer from their side effects.
