Dozens of protesters showed up outside OpenAI's DevDay conference this week, carrying signs that read People Over AI.
OpenAI's annual developer conference, DevDay, drew thousands of software engineers on September 29, 2026, according to PCMag. Outside the venue, a much smaller crowd, dozens of people by PCMag's count, gathered to object to the company's technology being used in surveillance and military operations. PCMag's report did not name an organizing group behind the demonstration. The protest ran alongside the developer sessions happening inside.
The numbers are modest compared with DevDay's attendee count, but the protest shows that worries about AI in state surveillance and defense work are following OpenAI to its own showcase event, not just circulating in opinion pieces. It fits a pattern of demonstrations trailing major AI labs over dual-use technology.
A few dozen picketers will not slow a developer conference, but they are a reminder that not every room at DevDay was cheering.