Anthropic's CEO admitted: the AI industry has failed to deliver on its promises and is losing trust.
A fundamental crisis of trust is growing in the artificial intelligence industry, and the blame lies with developers themselves. This position was voiced by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in response to criticism from investor Gavin Baker. The latter reproached the company head for overly pessimistic rhetoric and urged him to more actively promote the positive aspects of the technology.
Amodei countered: marketing tricks no longer work. Society is tired of loud claims that AI will cure cancer or solve global problems. The most fair criticism of companies like Anthropic is unfulfilled promises to bring real benefit to the world. "This is entirely on us. This is what we should be criticized for, not for messaging and marketing," he emphasized.
The root of distrust is deeper than it seems
According to Amodei, the negative attitude toward AI is just the tip of the iceberg. It is rooted in decades of disillusionment with institutions: people trust neither corporations, nor governments, nor the technology industry as a whole. They suspect that we are inventing new ways to deceive them. This trend can only be reversed in one way—through real results. "Only one thing will work—actually curing cancer," the CEO stated, promising to intensify work in biology and medicine.
Openness vs. safety: a rift in the industry
Amodei's position drew mixed reactions. Renowned researcher Yann LeCun entered the debate, stating that the only right path is open and widely accessible technology. By his analogy, AI, like the printing press and the internet, should expand access to knowledge rather than be concentrated in the hands of a select few. "We need diverse AI for the same reason we need a diverse press," he wrote, supporting Mark Zuckerberg's idea that the concept of "dangerous AI" is often used to justify excessive centralization of power.
In response, OpenAI GTM specialist Angel Brodin offered a counterargument from the pharmaceutical industry: even real medical breakthroughs do not save the sector from low levels of trust. In her view, attitudes toward AI will be shaped not only by technological successes but also by pricing, transparency, and the distribution of economic benefits.
My analysis: Amodei's statement is a rare case of honest self-reflection in an industry overheated by hype. The market is already beginning to evaluate AI companies not by presentations but by unit economics and practical utility. If leaders like Anthropic do not move from words to action in the next couple of years, we face not just a correction of expectations but a full-fledged "winter period" for the entire sector.