I wonder if having the world's largest search engine putting it front and center for every search query and can't disable it has something to do with it. Or for the world's largest social media platforms put it front and center and you can't disable it. Or for every employer mandating its use. Surely the people just love it so much they can't help but gravitate to these tools.

Search engine slop is an annoyance at best, Copilot/Apple Intelligence being everywhere is worse, but I think what does it for many people is how proudly the tech industry is displaying "AI" that will replace people's jobs. Musk's robot factory workers, for instance, or anyone practicing any form of art or creativity for a living, are now under threat of being replaced by the (still mediocre) works of a machine that can work 24/7.

You can't tell a farmhand to "use AI" to stay competitive in the workspace when an army of robots is taking over their work. Unlike advancements in agricultural tools and robotics, AI is now threatening jobs in just about any field. The tone-deafness with which this force of uncertainty is being presented probably doesn't help. People can tell AI marketing is directed at their employer, not at themselves.