Trust in large technology firms and artificial intelligence (AI) is notably low, with only 15% of Americans believing that AI companies should be responsible for decisions regarding the technology’s development, according to a poll from Anthropic and YouGov conducted in December 2025.
Persistent fears linger that the growth of AI might concentrate power and wealth in the hands of a select few tech experts.
However, Alex Karp, the CEO of Palantir Technologies, a software company based in Miami that develops AI platforms for various sectors, believes that such a future is not inevitable—and shouldn’t be. He emphasized during a recent company event, “We cannot have a society where all the value goes to 2,500 people sitting in Silicon Valley. That just will not work, and no one’s going to put up with it.”
Palantir aims to present an alternative vision of AI—one that emphasizes how it can enhance human capabilities instead of relegating people to subordinate roles.
Rather than letting corporations rely solely on a few major AI labs—like Google DeepMind or OpenAI—and become, as Karp puts it, “vassal states of the language labs,” Palantir envisions a future where businesses, regardless of their size, maintain “AI sovereignty.”
This means instead of outsourcing data processing to these labs, putting companies at their mercy if prices rise, Palantir advocates for enabling businesses to use AI tools they own. As Kevin Kawasaki, the Head of Business Development for Palantir, put it, “Your data, your model, not ours, not someone else’s, you’re not handing it over to anyone else.”
Recently, Palantir has been more vocal about the concept of ownership, revealing a nine-point manifesto and hosting a boot camp to demonstrate how customers can access AI tools without compromising their data.
This strategy counters the pessimistic viewpoint promulgated by some in the AI field, like Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who warns that AI could lead to mass unemployment and dependency on welfare—or worse.
According to Chad Wahlquist, Lead Architect at Palantir, that scenario doesn’t reflect the actual experiences of those working with AI. “If you talk to the nurses, the factory floor workers, and those using AI in their jobs, it’s a much different story than the fear tactics often portrayed by prominent AI labs.”
Along with ensuring companies keep their data, Palantir is addressing the issue of “token-maxing,” where customers are pushed to purchase more AI processing tokens. While companies like OpenAI generate revenue through increased token sales, Wahlquist pointed out that Palantir’s business model is focused on results, stating, “We get paid on outcomes. That is the core differentiator about us to everyone else.”
Palantir has built a reputation for collaborating with the U.S. government, positioning its approach as more aligned with American principles. “Sovereignty means you own the right to run your business,” Kawasaki explained. “If an AI lab can access your data, train on it, and sell that model to your competitors, you’re not running your business. You’re renting it.”
