In one of the opening shots of Un Chien Andalou, a 1929 French film written by Salvador Dalí, often cited as one of the first surrealist films, a young woman stares directly into the camera as a razor cut into her eye.

OK, he never opened his eyes, thanks to movie magic and all. But the film uses surrealism as a powerful new way of seeing and interpreting the world. It should shock us from passive watching and watching, and take us beyond the traditional view.

Last Thursday, as I sat in a lecture hall at the Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, listening to a speech about emerging technology and innovation in 2026, I hope to have a discussion about the same revolutionary modern innovations.

But often, when we talk about AI, we don’t face this potentially revolutionary technology with our eyes open. Instead, whether it’s in small lectures, social media posts or Super Bowl commercials, we get a side of the marketing pitch that hides the real risks and concerns surrounding AI.

Based on the questions from the audience during the Q&A, this is probably the first real introduction to generative and physical AI for most of them. The group took it all in uncritically, nodding and blooming with excitement as the lecture painted a picture of a future completely changed for the better.

In a particularly grating moment, we were shown a video of The LG washing robot which debuted last month on CES 2026 trade show in Las Vegas. Having seen the robot myself, I know how slow it’s to fold just one uniform size T-shirt. A robot that can really help with household chores is a few years away.

“Who wants this robot?” shouted the speaker, and hands were raised throughout the room.

Was there any mention of the limitations of the technology, such as the fact that it requires human assistance to reach the hamper? Is there any mention of prohibitive costs? Of course not. The crowd left the room with their understanding of AI shaped by a man who carefully avoided discussing any of the technology’s downsides.

This is a problem.

People with platforms – whether they are tech experts, museum curators or influencers with millions of followers – have a responsibility to tell the truth about AI. Not just the exciting parts. It’s not just the features that make for good sales. All of it.

When public figures emphasize the capabilities of AI, they neglect its risks: the destructive environmental impactthe proclivity of chatbots to hallucinate and make thingsabout how to use AI affects memory skills and the increasing incidence of AI-induced psychosis and suicide.

These dangers are easy to dismiss in conversation; conversations that shape public perception in a way that serves the select interests of a few, not the world.

We’ve seen this dangerous pattern before.

Since the US Supreme Court’s 2018 decision allowing states to legalize sports betting, celebrities and influencers have lined up to promote betting apps, pocketing huge paychecks as their followers face rising rates of gambling addiction and financial ruin.

The 2021 crypto boom also brought a parade of celebrities hoarding digital coins, many of which later crashed, leaving regular people holding worthless assets. Kim Kardashian lives with the SEC for $1.26 million in fines for promoting a crypto token without disclosing that he was paid to do so. Matt Damon told us that “luck favors the brave” in February 2022 Crypto.com Super Bowl ad very old after the crypto crash that year.

We’re looking at the same story unfolding with AI. We met household name actors jump in Super Bowl commercials AI companies champion for 100 million people. Influencers takes money from AI companies to promote tools they may not use and may not even understand, to an audience that trusts them.

The difference is that the risks of AI go beyond financial loss. We talked job displacementthe decline of creative industries, the spread of misinformation about size, deepfakes which destroys reputations and, as mentioned earlier, costs the environment to run these large models.

This is why I appreciate artists like Guillermo del Toro who speak realistically about AI. When the models referring to him unique visual style Going viral, he doesn’t say a word about generative AI being trained in the work of artists without permission, compensation or respect for copyright laws. He calls it theft.

Some artists and public figures are equally forthright about the threat AI poses to their livelihoods and craft. Meanwhile, tech executives and developers dismiss these concerns as the latest wave of Luddism.

While I generally believe that famous people are not role models to follow or look up to, many people do. They believe that if someone with credentials or fame is passionately promoting something, then it must be safe, beneficial and inevitable. That public trust comes with responsibility.

If you insist on talking about AI in public, took $600,000 to promote Microsoft Copilot to millions on social media or, if you’re the NFL, partner with an AI company in a commercial airing during America’s biggest sporting event, you have an obligation to present the whole picture — especially to audiences who are just learning about it.

Talk about limitations. Talk about jobs being eliminated. Discuss the artists whose work was scraped without permission to train these models. Identify surprising energy consumption. Explain how easy it is to create convincing misinformation. Be informed if an AI company paid you to say what you said.

This does not mean that you cannot discuss the possibilities and benefits of AI. It has real potential to accelerate drug discovery, improve disease outcomes and solve complex problems. But to frame it as pure progress and innovation — as a good nonsense — is either ignorant or delusional.

Like the surrealist work that emerged after the First World War, AI is revolutionary, provocative and disruptive. They both challenge the ways we see the world.

But surrealism is intentional and deeply human, rooted in our thoughts and expressions and emotions. Generative AI is machine-driven pattern recognition. Surrealism was created to defy conventions and achieve ultimate truth and authenticity.

We still deserve the truth today. The conversation around AI is happening, whether we like it or not, and it’s happening fast. The least we can ask is that the people leading the conversation tell us the facts of the matter.