Mark Cuban called on AI companies to spend billions of dollars aiding towns and cities affected by job losses, framing the expenditure as a necessary business cost. In a Thursday post on X, the former "Shark Tank" investor warned that big AI firms are losing a public relations battle with the masses.
Cuban argued the industry must start courting the public by directly addressing the societal disruption its technology creates. "One thing I have learned is being hated is not good for business," he wrote, adding that major AI companies "all suck at putting people first."
He specifically named creatives as a group deeply anxious about AI's impact. "Every creative I know is terrified about what AI will do to their profession," Cuban said, broadening the conversation beyond manufacturing and service jobs.
"Billions of dollars is a lot of money across towns and city programs. Across the major LLMs, it's a cost of doing business," he said, suggesting the investment is both morally and strategically prudent for long-term corporate survival.
Critics may argue that Cuban's proposal lacks specificity on how funds would be distributed or what programs would be most effective, potentially amounting to a vague public relations gesture rather than a structural solution.