What’s ‘doom trolling’ and why are AI leaders leaning so heavily into messaging that scares Americans?

On the one hand, Newport said big tech believes the AI systems they’re creating stand a “nontrivial chance” of wreaking havoc on society, potentially even leading to the end of civilization. On the other hand, AI assumes the role of Dr. Frankenstein, who is less concerned about the risks of his creation and more focused on moving forward with his work on AI. That’s the case even while acknowledging it could lead to “monstrous” results, Newmark stated.

Younger workers show angst as AI casts a big shadow

Meanwhile, anxiety grows in the general public, especially among younger adults, who worry their professional careers are over before they get started.

“Many young people are receiving mixed messages about AI,” Rida Rahim, a second-year computer science student at New York Institute of Technology, told Moneywise. “First, we’re encouraged to learn AI tools to stay competitive. Simultaneously, we’re constantly exposed to headlines suggesting AI may eliminate jobs, destabilize industries, or create existential risks. That tension can create confusion, anxiety, and skepticism.”

One particular fear linked to doom trolling is that fear tends to spread faster than nuance, a reality that seems to escape the AI narrative coming out of Silicon Valley. “Public discussions often jump between ‘AI will solve everything’ and ‘AI will destroy everything,” Rahim noted. “This leaves little room for conversations about realistic risks, limitations, and practical impacts on workers and students.”

Why AI sells fear when smartphones sold joy

In his post, Newmark pointed out the contradiction between AI leading lights like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who recently compared the company’s AI program to the development of the atomic bomb.

He’s not alone. Technology industry analysts say the sector has replaced joy with fear in its AI messaging.

“Fear sells AI because fear is the only frame that makes a chatbot feel as important as its creators want it to feel,” Matt Aubin, a cyber and counterfeit technology investigator at Orlando-based Southern Recon Agency, told Moneywise. He compares this to smart devices that promised users positive innovation. “Personal computers and smartphones promised you something you could hold and use.”

Another level of anxiety centers on AI’s biggest claims arriving in the future, so the story has to be epic to match the expectations, as existential language works in favor of big tech companies. “If the threat is civilization-level, then only a few large players can be trusted to build it, which conveniently freezes out smaller competitors,” Aubin said.

The effect on the public is exhaustion. “People swing between panic and numbness, and neither state helps them actually learn what these tools can and can’t do,” he added.

For AI developers, anxiety beats anger every time

Speed matters, too: in just 18 months, the fear generated by the arrival of artificial intelligence has reached a level that took the smartphone about 10 years to reach.

After spending years building software applications for small businesses, Chongwei Chen,

president, CEO, and software chief at Wyoming-based DataNumen Inc., said he’s seen executives openly speak of their “AI safety” posts as “investor catnip”, all the while screaming of existential risk and hurried product launch to beat competitors.

“The reason why such fear is so prevalent is that it is quite effective,” he told Moneywise. “It draws in the talent that wants to be on the right side of history, it makes regulators build rules that can only be followed by large players, and it turns a software update into a moral battle.”

The real harm is done to no one other than the cashier at the local grocery store who’s expressed genuine fear about having a job in two years after reading gloomy headlines.

“Fear is a psychological tool that works well because it makes the workers feel anxious rather than angry, and therefore prevents them from organizing themselves,” Chen noted.

He advises workers to take every warning issued by AI companies the same way as society takes any pharmaceutical commercial. “We need to figure out who benefits from the diagnosis and whether or not the cure is just another subscription service in a hazmat suit,” he said. “If such a company actually believes in its ability to destroy civilization, accountability will mean nothing else but to stop creating more technology until safety is assured.”

Big tech should curb its discouraging words

Technology mavens say doom-trolling around AI isn’t just hype; it’s creating real anxiety, especially for younger people already facing mental health challenges. According to a new Gallup study, 48% of Gen Z workers currently believe the risks of AI in the workforce outweigh its benefits. That’s up 11% from Gallup’s year-ago study on the same topic.

“The AI industry needs to be careful: while warnings about risks are important, leaning into existential dread distorts public perception and creates a toxic online atmosphere,” Thomas Prommer, a Los Angeles-based technology executive and AI advisor, told Moneywise.

From his time leading engineering teams at Apple and Nike, Prommer said he’s seen that responsible transparency builds trust without spinning fear. “The tech world should prioritize clear, honest communication about AI instead of amplifying worst-case scenarios that often serve strategic interests, like attracting investment or influencing regulators,” he noted.