# Feeling sad about AI

> Developer and commentator Simon Willison, usually a level headed guide to what AI can and cannot do, turns to something the technical coverage tends to skip: the plain emotional weight a lot of people are carrying about all of this. Writing off a widely shared discussion, he acknowledges that behind the debates about benchmarks and business models sits a real, quiet sadness. That feeling is not the same as fear of a robot apocalypse. It is grief and unease about change itself, about work and craft and creativity being reshaped faster than anyone can process, and about not getting a vote on whether it happens. Naming it, Willison suggests, is more honest than pretending everyone is either thrilled or terrified. It is a small, human counterweight to a news cycle dominated by funding rounds and model releases, and a reminder that how people feel about a technology shapes its adoption as much as what it can technically do.

_Section: [Daily AI Updates](https://www.wortins.com/daily-ai) · Source: Simon Willison · Published Saturday, September 12, 2026_

## Wortins' read

Developer and commentator Simon Willison, usually a level headed guide to what AI can and cannot do, turns to something the technical coverage tends to skip: the plain emotional weight a lot of people are carrying about all of this. Writing off a widely shared discussion, he acknowledges that behind the debates about benchmarks and business models sits a real, quiet sadness. That feeling is not the same as fear of a robot apocalypse. It is grief and unease about change itself, about work and craft and creativity being reshaped faster than anyone can process, and about not getting a vote on whether it happens. Naming it, Willison suggests, is more honest than pretending everyone is either thrilled or terrified. It is a small, human counterweight to a news cycle dominated by funding rounds and model releases, and a reminder that how people feel about a technology shapes its adoption as much as what it can technically do.

## Source

[Read the full story at Simon Willison](https://simonwillison.net/2026/Sep/11/feeling-sad-about-ai/)

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