Overview
- A coalition of more than a dozen immigrant-rights, labor, faith and tech-worker groups gathered outside Fort Mason on Tuesday to protest OpenAI’s DevDay, chanting slogans and handing out flyers demanding the company drop ICE and military contracts.
- Organizers said roughly 100 people took part and distributed a “democracy pledge” calling for limits on government work and executives’ political spending, though participation numbers and some donation claims come from coalition sources and have limited independent verification.
- Protest materials accused OpenAI of work that could support ICE operations and military projects, including organizer-cited claims about a $200 million military contract and use of GPT-4 in ICE hiring tools, which have not been corroborated by mainstream outlets.
- Inside Fort Mason, OpenAI went ahead with its opening keynote and announced new products to attendees, underscoring the company’s push to continue its roadmap despite public pressure at the door.
- The DevDay protest builds on months of activist pressure and recent security and trust issues for AI labs, and it could increase calls for regulation, shape public debate about data centers and housing impacts, and prompt closer scrutiny of industry-government ties.