Call it AI, call it Super Intelligence, only 2% of consumers are buying it

TechCrunch 2 Oct 2026, 17:56 UTC 1 min read

In brief

TechCrunch’s Equity podcast examined a week of major AI developments, including a White House safety pledge signed by leading technology executives and an executive order rebranding AI as “super intelligence.” The discussion also focused on weak consumer demand, the stronger enterprise market, stricter IPO conditions and several startup financings.

Only 2% of consumers are buying AI products, while enterprise spending remains the main source of funding.

The White House gathered executives including Zuckerberg, Bezos, Musk and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei to sign an AI safety pledge that President Donald Trump called “morally binding.”

Quartermaster raised $140M for real-time sensors in maritime shipping; Atomic is handling 90% of DoorDash’s purchasing; Charter Space raised $5M for satellite insurance.

Oura withdrew its IPO, Anthropic’s S-1 was leaked, and OpenAI returned to private funding, highlighting more selective public markets.

Why it matters: The episode reflects the widening gap between AI’s public prominence and consumer adoption, while showing where enterprise demand and startup capital remain concentrated.

Editorial brief by Sakhanda Wire AI, based on reporting by TechCrunch.

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This week, the White House got nearly every major tech CEO in one room — Zuckerberg, Bezos, Musk, and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei among them — to sign an AI safety pledge that President Donald Trump called “morally binding.” Trump also signed an executive order officially rebranding AI as “super intelligence,” and meanwhile, Meta and OpenAI are putting friendlier faces on their AI products, even as the biggest money in AI still appears to be coming from the enterprise.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Sean O’Kane dig into this week’s AI moves, the ugly economics of consumer AI, plus the shifting IPO market and a handful of startup deals.

Listen to the full episode to hear more about:

What Oura pulling its IPO, plus Anthropic’s leaked S-1 and OpenAI going back to private funding, says about how picky public markets have gotten

Quartermaster’s $140M raise to bring real-time sensors to an industry that AI basically hasn’t touched yet: maritime shipping

Why Atomic, a supply-chain startup from ex-Tesla vets, is already running 90% of DoorDash’s purchasing

How Startup Battlefield finalist Charter Space raised $5M to bring insurance to satellites

Speaking of Startup Battlefield, join us at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where Equity will kick things off with a live show on the Builders Stage at 9 a.m. Get 25% off your tickets with code Equity25.

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You can also follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.

Call it AI, call it Super Intelligence, only 2% of consumers are buying it

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