At the epicenter of AI, San Francisco Bay residents take on the technology

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.

Set us as preferred San Francisco Bay Area residents, living in the beating heart of the artificial intelligence boom, are just as conflicted about the technology as the rest of the country.As OpenAI showed off its latest AI assistants in San Francisco last week, protesters outside — some dressed as killer robots —demanded it keep AI away from the military.Thirteen miles away in Oakland the following day, some senior citizens sat down with a group of students to address AI angst at a grassroots tech event.Even as the clash between tech titans and anxious activists intensifies, the debate about AI is increasingly permeating community events, with the young and old grappling with the changes AI is bringing to their cities and the world.Many are confused and want answers.

Oakland resident Assata Olugbala, 81, asked for help removing Google’s AI bot Gemini from her devices after it started offering help she hadn’t requested.“I’ve never invited it into my space,” she said.“But it starts talking to me and answering questions.”While debates about building AI that surpasses human intelligence, flashy new gadgets and AI spending tend to dominate tech events, tech talks at last week’s Oakland Tech Week often had a different vibe.The citywide annual event aims to bring technology to everyday consumers and constituents, and AI was one of its biggest concerns.

The event, which ended Saturday, featured panels and workshops titled “How to build Socially Responsive AI,” “AI in the workplace,” “Can AI Heal Us?” and “Master the Machine.” Companies based around the San Francisco Bay Area, including OpenAI and Meta, have promoted AI assistants as friendly, cute helpers for tackling tedious tasks.But tech workers, activists and politicians fear that humans could lose control of the technology they’re advanci...