OpenAI DevDay opens with protest outside venue; protesters in robot costumes chant

OpenAI's DevDay conference kicked off with demonstrators staging a protest outside the San Francisco venue. Protesters marched in a circle, chanting "Sam Altman, get off it, put people over profit," as attendees filed into the opening keynote. Their grievances centered on OpenAI's contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and its involvement in military and government projects.

Environmental concerns also plagued the protest, with protesters highlighting the ecological impact of data centers and the expanding influence of AI companies.

Several organizations rallied behind the DevDay protest, including Bay Resistance, Tech Workers Coalition, Service Employees International Union, San Francisco Rising, and the San Francisco Labor Council. The rally featured large letters spelling "People over profit" and a prominent sign urging OpenAI to end its ties with ICE. Several protesters wore cardboard robot costumes and brandished cardboard scythes, while other signs cautioned against AI-driven "killer robots" serving ICE and the destructive effects of climate change. One sign queried OpenAI's "moral codex," a jab at its coding tool.

Altman's name elicited boos from the crowd, and one protester shouted "Fascist!" Chants linked ICE to OpenAI's software, including a reference to "no more coding for ICE crimes." A protester with a megaphone addressed OpenAI employees directly, leading a song calling for them to reconsider their association with the company. Flyers distributed at the protest directed people to QuitGPT.org and asked them to sign a "democracy pledge" to halt ICE and military contracts.

The flyer alleged that OpenAI was developing tools for ICE violence and that its executives aided the political rise of the MAGA movement. Another flyer marked safe distances from data centers, recommending a minimum of 100 miles for safety.

While the protest unfolded outside, Altman addressed the attendees inside the venue. He expressed confidence that DevDay would be OpenAI's best yet and unveiled Dots, its always-on AI agents, and a new Pro tier.