U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says AI firms have done a 'horrendous job' explaining themselves to the public

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said this week that artificial intelligence labs and data-center builders have done a “horrendous job” of explaining themselves to the American public, calling for a “big reset” as surveys show deep distrust of the technology and of the companies building it. Speaking after G20 finance meetings in Asheville, North Carolina, he argued that firms must convince people that “all the benefits will not accrue to a small group,” and that government and industry share a duty to explain AI’s use cases, national-security value, and quality-of-life effects.