Dave Eggers told OpenAI staff that ChatGPT was ‘silencing an entire generation’

AIEntertainmentNewsDave Eggers told OpenAI staff that ChatGPT was ‘silencing an entire generation’The author used Sam Altmans invitation to give a speech as an opportunity to lash out.The author used Sam Altmans invitation to give a speech as an opportunity to lash out.by Terrence O'BrienJul 18, 2026, 8:54 PM UTCLinkShareGiftDave Eggers attends the “The Turning Point: To Be Destroyed” premiere. Image: John Lamparski/Getty Images for Tribeca FestivalTerrence O'Brien is the Verge’s weekend editor. He’s covered the tech industry for over 18 years and knows a thing or two about synths.Last year, Sam Altman invited author Dave Eggers to give a talk to around 200 OpenAI staffers. The man has written countless novels, screenplays, pieces of journalism, started McSweeney’s, and founded multiple schools and nonprofits that support writers and the arts more broadly. So one might expect he’d roll into the company’s offices and offer tips on being relentlessly prolific, or how to excel in multiple fields. Instead, he apparently laced into the company. According to the Financial Times, Eggers told the staff:“The effect of ChatGPT on educators’ lives is catastrophic. Whether you intended to do it or not, you’ve made every teacher’s life infinitely more difficult than it was two years ago. So, just let that settle in… If students are using it to compose, which is the biggest tragedy of all, they’ll never learn to write. And their voice is stolen from them. They’ll never have the ability to say their truth and tell their own story. And that’s silencing an entire generation or two.”To be fair, Altman likely knew what he was getting himself into. Eggers’ best-selling novel The Circle is a scathing critique of the tech industry. And he’s called AI-generated writing “pastiche nonsense.”Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Terrence O'BrienAIBooksEntertainmentNewsOpenAIMost PopularMost PopularDave Eggers told OpenAI staff that ChatGPT was ‘silencing an entire generation’Sony’s flagship RGB LED TV is incredibleFine, electric mountain bikes don’t suckEven Microsoft couldn’t make Windows 11 work well on 8GB of RAMThe apps, gadgets, and tools every reader needsThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native ad