More than a dozen organisations rallied outside OpenAI’s DevDay in San Francisco, protesting the company’s government and military contracts, its association with ICE, the environmental impact of data centres and the concentration of power in the AI industry. The demonstration reflects wider concerns about the sector’s influence and lack of regulation, amid apparently low public trust in AI.

Protesters at Fort Mason carried signs including “Drop the ICE contract” and “No climate destruction”, chanted criticism of OpenAI and called on employees to change course. Flyers urged people to sign a pledge against ICE and military contracts and directed them to QuitGPT.org; another flyer warned about data centres. The article does not report the number of protesters, only that more than a dozen organisations sponsored the rally.