WASHINGTON — The pope called it a threat of “new forms of slavery.” Pew Research polling shows only a sliver of Americans think AI will be good for society. Kids use it for more than homework, often without parental knowledge. Nearly every S&P 500 company is experimenting with the technology.
And bosses are replacing workers with chatbots. That is the landscape.
But the core of the pessimism runs deeper than job loss or papal disapproval. It is about what AI is actually being used for. The report notes that AI is deployed for mass surveillance and war crimes.
Bombing villages. That is not a hypothetical future.
It is a present-tense fact. Rockets can be used for space exploration or destruction. Drugs can heal or poison.
The same logic applies here. Most people get that. But the constructive use cases, as the source material puts it, “seem few and far between.” That gap — between what AI can do and what it is actually doing — is what is driving the negativity.
The Pew numbers are stark. A substantial number of Americans express negative views.
Only a small percentage predict a positive outcome. The majority are unsure or negative. This is not a niche opinion.
It is the mainstream view of a technology that is already embedded in daily life. Consider the speed.
AI has become a part of everyday life at an unprecedented pace. Kids use it for much more than school. Companies are experimenting across the S&P 500.
The wave of change is real. But the public is not cheering. They are worried.
Part of that worry is environmental. The report flags a “significant environmental and financial crisis” tied to AI.
Running large models consumes vast amounts of energy. The financial costs are also mounting. These are not abstract concerns.
They are measurable consequences of a technology that is being rolled out faster than society can assess it. The pope’s intervention adds moral weight.
When a global religious leader decries “new forms of slavery” in connection with AI, it gives the anxiety a different register. It is not just about jobs or privacy anymore. It is about human dignity and autonomy.
That framing resonates with people who may not follow tech news closely. Yet the report is careful to note that AI is just a tool. It matters who uses it and how.
That is a truism. But the distribution of power matters.
Surveillance and bombing are not accidental side effects. They are intentional uses by state and military actors. The same technology that helps a kid cheat on a history paper can help a drone identify a target.
The constructive use cases exist. They are just not dominant in the public conversation.
And the public conversation reflects reality. When people see AI used for mass surveillance and war crimes, they draw conclusions. Those conclusions are negative.
This is not a bubble of fear that will pop on its own. The report suggests that the pessimism is grounded in observable events. The pope said it.
The polls show it. The companies are doing it.
The kids are using it. The bombs are falling. Each piece reinforces the others.
For the technology to shed its negative image, the constructive use cases would need to become visible, frequent, and undeniable. That is not happening yet.
Until it does, the public will remain skeptical. And the skepticism will be earned.
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