Why people aren't buying Mark Zuckerberg's AI future

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg this week published a roughly 6,500-word essay titled "The Future is for Everyone," outlining an optimistic vision in which every person has a highly capable personal AI agent that understands their goals and interests. But on TechCrunch's Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Rebecca Bellan and Anthony Ha discussed why many people aren't convinced by this vision.

A trust problem

TechCrunch AI editor Russell Brandom wrote that the manifesto is "exactly why people don't like AI." Bellan noted that Zuckerberg appears to be positioning himself as an opposite to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who tends to emphasize caution and safety in AI development. Zuckerberg, by contrast, insists development should not slow down, arguing that doing so would hurt individuals and cede ground to China.

Much of the skepticism stems from Meta's history: during the social media era, Zuckerberg promised to connect people, but critics say the result was ragebaiting and advertising rather than genuine connection. Bellan added that Meta's current consumer AI products are mostly associated with unsettling chatbots.

Meta's position in the AI market

The hosts noted that Meta isn't typically seen as a leading frontier AI lab, nor is it a major player among popular consumer AI assistants. The manifesto introduces a new model called Glimmer, intended for everyday tasks like managing schedules, drafting messages and organizing files, while a more powerful model, Muse Spark, would remain more limited in availability. However, Bellan pointed out that Glimmer isn't downloadable on a standard computer and requires specific hardware, meaning it isn't yet accessible to most people.

Ha added that much of the manifesto is too abstract to persuade AI skeptics, while its more concrete proposals — such as personal AI coaches and assistants — draw mixed reactions, echoing past criticism of other AI executives' predictions about AI's role in everyday family life.