In one of the opening shots of Un Chien Andalou, a 1929 French film co-written by Salvador Dalí, often cited as one of the first surrealist films, a young woman stares directly at the camera as a razor blade slices across her eye.
OK, she didn't actually have her eye slit open, thanks to movie magic and all. But the movie uses surrealism as a powerful new way of seeing and interpreting the world. It's supposed to shock us out of passive viewing and spectatorship, and take us beyond traditional perception.
Last Thursday, as I sat in a lecture hall at the Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, listening to a talk about emerging technology and innovation in 2026, I hoped for a discussion about similarly revolutionary modern innovations.
But far too often, when we talk about AI, we don't confront this potentially revolutionary technology with our eyes wide open. Instead, whether it's in small lectures, social media posts or Super Bowl commercials, we get a one-sided marketing pitch that masks the real risks and concerns surrounding AI.
CNET
Based on the audience's questions during the Q&A, this was likely the first real introduction to generative and physical AI for many of them. The group absorbed everything uncritically, nodding along and blooming with excitement as the lecture painted a picture of a future transformed entirely for the better.
In one particularly grating instance, we were shown a video of LG's laundry-folding robot that debuted last month at the CES 2026 trade show in Las Vegas. Having seen the robot for myself, I knew how slow it was at folding just one uniform-sized T-shirt. A robot that can actually assist with home chores is years away.
"Who wants this robot?" the speaker shouted, and hands raised all over the room.
Was there any mention of the technology's limitations, like the fact that it needs human help to reach into the hamper? Was there any mention of the prohibitive cost? Of course not. The crowd left that room with their understanding of AI shaped by someone who had carefully avoided mentioning any of the technology's downsides.
This is a problem.
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