AI’s elite celebrated in Washington as the public sours on data centers and chatbots

WASHINGTON — Glitz, glamor and geopolitics were on the menu Wednesday night as Washington’s AI elite gathered to mingle and celebrate AI pioneers.

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Complete with a red carpet and a dancing humanoid robot, the event could have been mistaken for a science fiction Hollywood premiere. Even as AI becomes an increasing source of tension in communities across America, the night’s honorees were largely optimistic about the trajectory of AI and its potential impact on society.

“AI is a transformative technology that’s going to enable so many advancements, from healthcare to engineering to energy production to security,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright told NBC News as the night kicked off.

“I understand people’s concerns about it, but it’s going to be overwhelmingly positive for our society,” said Wright. “It’s a beautiful event.”

Held in the Waldorf Astoria — formerly the Trump International Hotel — steps away from the White House, the Washington AI Honors black-tie gala brought together an eclectic mix of billionaires, elected politicians, industry insiders, lobbyists, administration officials and a handful of scientists to schmooze, snack and exchange information about AI deals and development.

The event was organized by the Washington AI Network, a group that runs regular fireside chats with Washington’s AI movers and shakers, and was sponsored by a who’s-who of deep-pocketed tech power players, including Anthropic, Microsoft and Meta. Senior administration officials including Wright, National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross and Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz were present.

Many speakers lamented growing public pushback against AI on issues ranging from data center construction to potential AI-caused labor-market disruption, which they said could unfairly obscure AI’s potential benefits.

“Unfortunately, there is a dual narrative going on in America right now about the merits of AI,” said celebrity investor Kevin O’Leary, as he accepted the night’s AI Global Ambassador Award. “In one camp, we have people who think AI will replace all jobs and then the robots will eat the babies.”

“And the other side is the merits of what AI as a tool could be for advancing medical research, democratizing everything we do in education, providing productivity to our economy, and advancing what we do in defense,” O’Leary added, emphasizing that many Americans fear data centers because of what he called outdated information and calling on developers to build enough energy generation to help communities and avoid energy-rate spikes.

The AI messaging from the gold-leaf-adorned ballroom often contrasted with popular sentiments about the technology. In March, an NBC News poll found that a strong majority of Americans think risks from AI outweigh its benefits. In that poll, only the Democratic Party and Iran were viewed less favorably than AI. “I feel as an industry we’re behind the eight ball on messaging,” O’Leary said. The “Shark Tank” mogul is currently attempting to build one of the nation’s largest data centers in Utah but has been met with stiff local opposition.

Featuring neon-clad dancers on stilts, a roving food-delivery drone and hundreds of candles floating elegantly in vats of water, the event was a curious mix of sincere wishes for collaborative AI development and standard D.C. glad-handing.

Attendees seemed keen to squeeze as much networking as possible out of the gala, often chatting with their associates and neighbors during speakers’ remarks. The chatter caused the emcees to not-so-playfully shush the crowd several times.

The Vatican’s incoming ambassador to Washington, Gabriele Caccia, fought to be heard during his opening speech. “At every stage, the development and application of artificial intelligence must be guided by the dignity of the human person, by the common good of the human family,” Caccia said over the din of clattering silverware and business-card swapping.

CNN’s Pamela Brown, who presided over some of the affair, asked the crowd to “just quiet down so I can tell you this secret,” which turned out to be new polling from the Washington AI Network and research organization Morning Consult about Americans’ views on AI. The poll found that AI lost every head-to-head matchup with other American institutions like Congress on matters of trust. The recent online poll of around 1,500 American adults also found that 70% of Americans are concerned about AI’s impact on the upcoming elections, with specific worries about deepfakes and AI-fueled personal campaign ad targeting.

Americans are concerned about AI because “they are afraid they will be left behind,” said awardee Michele Jawando, CEO of the nonprofit Omidyar Network, an organization that aims to foster more inclusive and accessible technology. “I am almost imploring you to step back and ask: Who is missing from your conversations, from your room, from your product design launches?” Jawando asked of the tech titans and politicians in the room. “And what can you do to change that?”

Minutes before, Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said AI was helping the military “exponentially accelerate the kill chain.” He added that the military was eager to join forces with private-sector companies crafting today’s AI systems “to build the tools that enable our soldiers to see farther, decide faster, and strike harder than any adversary anywhere on the Earth at any time.”

Wednesday’s event was the gala’s second iteration and honored O’Leary, Jawando, Sens. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Mark Warner, D-Va., Nvidia co-founder Chris Malachowsky, Katherine Yelich, the vice chancellor for research at the University of California, Berkeley, and Maj. Gen. Patrick Ellis.