Lesson 468 of 1455
Who Controls the AI? Why That Matters for Society
A few big companies make most of the AI everyone uses. That gives them a lot of power over how information flows. Here is why that should bug you a little.
Builders · Ethics & Society · ~5 min read
The big idea
Right now, a small handful of companies (OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, Meta, Microsoft) make most of the AI the world uses. They decide what AI says, what it refuses to say, what data it learned from. That is a lot of power for a few companies.
Real examples
- Different AI companies refuse different topics — that shapes what people learn.
- Big tech AI is trained on data scraped from the whole internet, often without permission.
- Open-source AI models (like Llama, Mistral) let anyone run AI without depending on big companies.
- Some governments are trying to regulate AI; some are trying to control it.
Try it yourself
Pick one question. Ask the same thing to 3 different AIs (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini). Notice how the answers differ. Notice what each one refuses. Notice what each emphasizes.
Key terms in this lesson
End-of-lesson quiz
Check what stuck
8 questions · Score saves to your progress.
Lesson help
Questions are best handled with a grown-up here.
For this age range, Tendril keeps freeform AI chat paused until parent/guardian consent and child-safe moderation are fully verified. Use the quiz, notes, and related lessons below, or ask a parent, guardian, teacher, or librarian to work through the question with you.
Progress saved locally in this browser. Sign in to sync across devices.
Related lessons
Keep going
Creators · 12 min
Who Has the Power Over AI: A Concentration Problem
A small number of companies and countries control most powerful AI. Concentration of power has implications for democracy and global equity.
Creators · 12 min
AI's Effect on Democratic Discourse: Where to Pay Attention
AI affects how political content gets created, distributed, and amplified. Beyond the obvious deepfake worry, deeper effects on discourse merit attention.
Creators · 9 min
AI and a stakeholder impact map
Use AI to draft a stakeholder impact map for a new AI feature so you can see who benefits, who's at risk, and who has no voice.