Public Shaming Is Our Best Defense Against Big Tech

Big Tech, Jessica Grose argues, may finally have met a force that can slow it down: being publicly chastised. Writing in the New York Times, the opinion columnist points to Mattel's splashy plan, announced in June, to roll out AI-fueled toys with OpenAI. Outrage ensued, and after months of criticism from parents and advocates worried about safety, privacy, and kids' development, Mattel quietly hit pause. "This may seem like a small victory," writes Grose. "It's a delay, not a cancellation. But I would argue that it's a signal of something potentially bigger": evidence that shaming third parties—toy companies, app stores, advertisers—works better than trying to move the tech giants directly and could end up nudging lawmakers to act.

Her Exhibit A: Elon Musk's Grok chatbot, which is accused of generating sexualized images that appear to depict minors (among other things). While Musk has largely brushed off criticism, Grose notes that outrage has still triggered partial responses: X restricted some image tools, and Grok has been blocked in countries including Indonesia and Malaysia. Meanwhile, a trio of US senators are pressing Apple and Google to drop the X and Grok apps entirely. With federal policy tilted toward accelerating AI, Grose's bet is on sustained public pressure as the most realistic check. Read her full column here.