The backlash against artificial intelligence and the data centers powering it took center stage Wednesday at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference, where executives across tech and media weighed the promise of AI against the public’s mounting unease.
CoreWeave CEO Mike Intrator told CNBC’s David Faber that the industry has failed to articulate the benefits of the data-center buildout to everyday people, governments and decision-makers. “I don’t think we have done a particularly good job of talking about the benefits of what the data centers allow the AI companies to be able to deliver to people, to governments, to decision making,” Intrator said in comments that aired Wednesday.
The annual gathering, which brings together leaders from the biggest technology and media companies, has become a forum for wrestling with AI adoption — and the pushback many local communities are mounting against its infrastructure. Intrator argued that the fear is less about the centers themselves than about the pace of change. “It is really about: Hey, you know the world is changing, and it’s changing very quickly, and that’s going to have impacts on myself. It’s going to have impacts on my children, and what is that going to look like? And that is frightening,” he added.
Visa CEO Ryan McInerney said he has seen consumers’ distrust of AI spill into agentic commerce, where digital agents might make payments on a user’s behalf. The new model is developing “a little more slowly than we thought,” McInerney said. “When you ask consumers, do they trust these agentic platforms to go out and make payments on their behalf, the short answer is they don’t.”
The conference kicked off as separate comments in the tech world underscored the stakes. Jacob Coxon, an AI researcher who worked at Anthropic and its rival OpenAI, resigned Tuesday, warning in a post on X that the fast-evolving technology “could kill us all by the end of the decade.” Coxon accused the companies of “gambling with our lives” in the race toward superintelligence. “Do not underestimate the power of this technology. These will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionize any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources. We have all witnessed the progress in each of these domains, and progress is not slowing,” he wrote.
Cable’s broadband headache
Outside AI, cable executives used the conference to address intensifying competitive pressure on their broadband businesses. Both Comcast and Charter Communications have posted quarterly broadband customer losses in recent years as fixed wireless — that is, 5G-based alternatives — gains traction.
Comcast CFO Jason Armstrong reiterated Wednesday that those pressures persist, pointing to fixed wireless competition. He also flagged satellite as a looming threat. “Satellite looms out there as a potential threat,” Armstrong said, adding that while competition from providers like Starlink isn’t yet material, “there’s no complacency around it.” He said he expects satellite competition to emerge over time, “in particular in rural and maybe deep suburban markets.”
Investors reacted sharply. Comcast stock sank more than 6% on Wednesday, while Charter shares fell 8%.
Armstrong also said Comcast is seeing “irrational competition” on fiber broadband pricing, a trend that continued into the third quarter after surfacing during the company’s second-quarter earnings call. For the period ended June 30, Comcast again lost broadband customers, and segment revenue declined as lower pricing plans and promotions took hold.
Charter CEO Chris Winfrey, in an interview with CNBC’s Faber, acknowledged that competition is hurting the cable broadband business in the short term but expressed confidence that long-term improvements will come.
Disney eyes free ad-supported tier
Streaming competition from tech giants like Google’s YouTube also loomed over the conference. Walt Disney CFO Hugh Johnston said the company is investing in its streaming platform through content and is considering adding a free, ad-supported option. “It’s early days on this, but it’s certainly something we’re excited about, and I think it’s going to be a terrific addition to the portfolio,” Johnston said Wednesday.
Johnston noted that a free, ad-supported tier would let Disney retain viewers who cancel subscriptions, and if customer cannibalization became a concern, the company could “evolve over time” and adjust its strategy.
Newly minted CEO Josh D’Amaro has previously said Disney is weighing the option for Disney+, framing it as a “front porch” to draw viewers into the platform for free. With streaming subscription prices rising, media companies are leaning more on advertising to offer cheaper options and boost revenue and profits.
D’Amaro has also teased integrating streaming with shopping on Disney+, with more details expected in the spring. Johnston hinted Wednesday at what that might look like, describing an “integrated ecosystem” under the Disney+ banner that could include consumer products, parks and cruises, and interactive experiences tied to Disney’s intellectual property, such as gaming. “The goal is to increase the frequency of use of Disney+ because we know when people increase their frequency of use … retention is higher and we get better outcomes,” Johnston said.
Source: www.cnbc.com — https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/09/goldman-sachs-communcacopia-technology-conference-ai.html
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. Do your own research and consult a licensed professional before making financial decisions.
