If AI were a candidate for political office, it would be losing in a landslide.

Why it matters: The AI boom is often framed as inevitable. But backlash against AI is growing as people fear it could replace jobs, drive up electricity costs, widen inequality and harm the environment.

State of play: Florida real estate executive Gloria Caulfield's commencement speech went viral this month after she said "artificial intelligence is the next Industrial Revolution," sparking a loud chorus of boos from the crowd.

• The jeers could've been avoided had she checked the latest polls: Only 18% of young people ages 14- 29 say they feel hopeful about AI.
• The disdain spans generations and political parties. A poll released this week showed more than 70% of Americans think AI is advancing too quickly, with 68% of Republicans and 77% of Democrats saying it's moving too fast.

Between the lines: Many AI executives appear unfazed or unaware of the backlash.

• Superhuman Mail CEO Rahul Vohra — whose company makes an AI-powered email assistant — seemed unfamiliar with broader public skepticism toward AI. After hearing about poor polling around AI, he responded: "We don't really see that."

Zoom in: San Francisco's fast-growing AI industry is fueling economic optimism while triggering fears over inequality, infrastructure strain and a new wave of tech-driven displacement.

• Some residents fear the technology's rapid expansion is deepening housing inequities, straining the electric grid and reshaping neighborhoods around the interests of tech investors and engineers.

Threat level: Negative AI sentiment could become a financial liability for tech companies if it curbs access to compute power — the energy-intensive data centers underpinning the industry's growth.

• A record number of projects for those facilities were canceled in the first quarter of 2026 amid community resistance.
• "Public pushback is emerging as a binding constraint," Morgan Stanley analysts wrote in a note about market risks associated with the midterms.

The bottom line: The AI industry has a serious PR problem that threatens to inhibit the growth that its leaders have taken for granted.

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SFO is gearing up for another busy summer travel season, which officially kicks off this Friday ahead of the long weekend.

State of play: Roughly 16.8 million passengers are expected to pass through SFO between Memorial Day and Labor Day — up about 3% from last summer.

• Friday will be especially busy, with SFO expecting about 163,000 travelers to be passing through the airport on that day alone.

Here are some tips on planning ahead:

⏰ Arrive early. Get to the airport at least two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international departures.

🅿️ Parking will be tight. Garages are expected to fill up fast, so make sure to book parking online as far in advance ahead of your trip. Consider skipping driving altogether — travelers are encouraged to use public transit or rideshares.

🧳 Skip hauling your bags. SFO has expanded remote baggage check-in from its long-term parking garage and rental car center for some domestic airlines, allowing travelers to check luggage before reaching the terminal.

👌 The bottom line: A little extra planning could go a long way in helping travelers avoid headaches during what's expected to be another busy season.

⚖️ Elon Musk's $150 billion lawsuit accusing OpenAI of betraying its nonprofit mission was dismissed yesterday after a federal jury ruled the case did not meet the statute of limitations. (Axios)

🚗 Honda Accords were San Francisco's most-stolen cars last year, with Hondas accounting for 19% of thefts and Toyotas 16%, even as overall auto thefts have fallen sharply since 2023. (SF Chronicle)

🦌 A deer was spotted swimming in the bay near the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, far from shore. (SFGATE)

🏗️ Two of San Francisco's most influential civic funders — the Downtown Development Corp. and billionaire venture capitalist Michael Moritz's Crankstart Foundation — will cover half of the estimated $40 million cost to redesign Embarcadero Plaza. (SF Chronicle)

A tiny former Fotomat kiosk across from Amoeba Records has found an unlikely second life as a DJ booth and independent online radio station that's turning heads in the Haight.

• The small setup — run by the local music label Program Audio — has been drawing clusters of curious pedestrians, electronic music fans and spontaneous dancers during its live weekend broadcasts.

Catch up quick: Founders Arthur Javier and Erika Martinez opened Program Audio's kiosk in March with the goal of creating a free, public space for DJs and underground music fans in a city where creative spaces and nightlife culture have increasingly become shaped by corporate interests.

What to expect: The music leans heavily electronic, with DJs spinning everything from techno and house to experimental club tracks.

My thought bubble: I stopped by last weekend and watched the crowd slowly build: skaters stopping mid-ride, shoppers lingering longer than planned and tourists filming on their phones as the music saturated the neighborhood on a warm, late afternoon.

• Part of the intrigue is how communal it feels. In a city where nightlife conversations often center on what's disappeared, Program Audio seems to be creating something refreshingly analog.

🎶 If you go: Live DJ sets run Fridays through Sundays from 4-9 p.m. at 1800 Haight St.