Call it AI, call it Super Intelligence, only 2% of consumers are buying it
techcrunch ·
In early October 2026, the White House convened major tech leaders including Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk to sign an AI safety pledge described by President Donald Trump as morally binding. Concurrently, Trump issued an executive order officially rebranding artificial intelligence as "super intelligence." Despite these high-profile political maneuvers and efforts by companies like Meta and OpenAI to humanize their products, consumer adoption remains extremely low at just two percent. The TechCrunch Equity podcast highlights that the primary financial momentum in the sector continues to be driven by enterprise solutions rather than individual users. The episode also examines the increasingly selective public markets, noting recent developments such as Oura pulling its IPO and OpenAI returning to private funding. Additionally, the discussion covers various startup activities, including Quartermaster's significant raise for maritime sensors and Atomic's integration into DoorDash's supply chain. Other featured stories include Charter Space securing insurance funding for satellites and AMD's acquisition of World Labs. These elements collectively illustrate a complex landscape where political branding and corporate strategy clash with sluggish consumer demand.
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