CNBC: 58% of Public Now Views AI Negatively as Anthropic and OpenAI Prepare IPOs

CNBC·medium signal

CNBC reported on April 15 that public sentiment toward AI has turned sharply negative: 58% of respondents now view AI negatively (up from 42% last year), and a Gallup poll shows approval for AI technologies dropped to 38% in 2026. At the same time, at least $156 billion in data center projects have been cancelled or delayed. This creates a challenging backdrop for both Anthropic and OpenAI's IPO plans — investor surveys show 40% hesitation due to public sentiment. OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar has said the company plans to reserve IPO shares for retail investors.