OpenAI has publicly responded to growing pessimism about spreading artificial intelligence (AI).

TechRadar reported on April 17 that Chris Lehane (크리스 리헤인), OpenAI’s vice president for global policy, said debate over AI is wavering between exaggerated optimism and extreme pessimism. He said the industry needs to more clearly explain how AI can help individuals, families and society.

In an interview with the San Francisco Standard, Lehane said, "This is not something to view for fun. It is a serious issue." He said the industry has not sufficiently explained the practical value of AI technology. He added, "What OpenAI and the AI industry need to do is better explain why this technology is helpful to individuals, families and society as a whole."

The remarks come as trust in AI in the United States weakens. A recent Pew Research survey found only 17 percent of respondents said AI would have a positive impact on the United States over the next 20 years. Lehane said current discourse on AI is tilted toward two extremes. He said one side is overly optimistic as if AI will solve every problem, while the other is closer to "doomers" who are excessively pessimistic about humanity’s future.

He also acknowledged the AI industry is not free from responsibility. He said AI companies have repeatedly mentioned extreme changes that would happen in the future, but in some cases they did not materialise, adding that such announcements instead increased distrust. At the same time, he said he understands there are major social concerns such as jobs, the cost of living and the possibility of harm to children, but added that such reactions have been repeated during past major technological leaps.

With this sense of the problem, OpenAI also laid out ideas on how to spread AI’s economic benefits across society as a whole. In a recently released white paper, OpenAI argued AI could create "tremendous wealth creation". The paper proposed raising funds through stronger taxation on top tiers of capital gains, corporate tax and targeted measures on AI profits, and suggested designing an adaptive social safety net for everyone based on that.

OpenAI also said AI could contribute to scientific challenges that are difficult to solve through human effort alone. The white paper said it could accelerate breakthroughs in treating and preventing disease, easing food shortages, strengthening agriculture under climate stress, and stable, clean energy. OpenAI added that these proposals are not a "final answer" but a starting point for broader discussion aimed at ensuring AI benefits reach everyone.

Side effects from the spread of AI are also already emerging. Fintech company Block cut about 40 percent of its workforce because of AI alternatives, and Pinterest plans to reduce its overall workforce by 15 percent in 2026 and replace it with AI.

In this situation, the task OpenAI must overcome is not merely to repeat technological optimism, but to prove what benefits actually flow into real lives. There is also a remaining burden for OpenAI, whose corporate structure and business direction changed significantly after starting as a nonprofit, to persuade others that it still prioritises the benefit of all humanity. With opposition also continuing over data centre construction and expanding AI development, debate over AI’s benefits and costs is expected to grow for some time.