公眾對人工智慧的反感部分源於其糟糕的日常體驗，例如令人沮喪的自動化客服系統。雖然少數精英將AI視為改變生活的奇蹟，但多數人只將其視為降低服務品質以增加企業利潤的工具，甚至在某些情況下透過監控定價來損害消費者利益，而成功的AI應用則往往隱形於日常生活中而被忽略。

這種現象反映了人們如何理解風險，正如核能儘管安全記錄良好卻仍令人恐懼。心理學研究指出，公眾對科技的恐懼取決於風險是否自願承擔、是否可控，以及承擔風險者是否為受益者。AI在這些方面表現糟糕，因為多數人覺得自己未經同意就被迫接受了這項技術，而只有少數開發者和企業能從中獲利並掌控一切。

業界內部的警告加劇了這種擔憂，但高層承諾的廉價智能卻未能安撫大眾，反而讓人想起過去對核能的不切實際承諾。如果AI繼續被視為一種令人恐懼且未經公眾同意的風險，它可能會面臨與核能相同的命運，受到法規或公眾反彈的阻礙；因此，業界領袖需要更多地與受其技術影響的普通民眾對話，而不是僅僅在同溫層內自說自話。

Public backlash against artificial intelligence partly stems from poor everyday experiences, such as frustrating automated customer service systems. While a small elite views AI as a life-changing marvel, most people see it as a tool used by companies to degrade service quality for profit, or even harm consumers through surveillance pricing, while successful AI applications often blend invisibly into daily life and go unnoticed.

This phenomenon reflects how people perceive risk, much like the fear of nuclear power despite its strong safety record. Psychological studies suggest that public dread of a technology depends on whether the risk is assumed voluntarily, is controllable, and whether those bearing the risk also reap the benefits. AI scores poorly on all these fronts, as most people feel forced to accept the technology without consent, while only a few developers and corporations control it and profit from it.

Internal warnings from the industry have amplified these concerns, and executives' promises of cheap intelligence have failed to reassure the public, instead echoing past unrealistic promises about nuclear energy. If AI continues to be viewed as a dreaded risk imposed without public consent, it may face the same fate as nuclear power, hindered by regulations or public backlash; therefore, industry leaders must spend more time engaging with the ordinary people affected by their technology rather than just talking within their own bubble.