A dark form of anti-technology politics is beginning to take shape. This month, a molotov cocktail was thrown at the San Francisco home of Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. The suspect fled and was arrested at the organization’s headquarters, where he was threatening to burn the building to the ground, according to police. Days before that, an Indianapolis city council member who supported a data center development told local outlets someone fired 13 shots at his home and left behind a note reading, “No data centers.” Law enforcement is investigating the incident. Autonomous taxis have been vandalized and attacked by angry crowds.
In moments of rapid technological change, some people do not try just to resist the future. They try to terrorize the people and institutions embracing it.