Most people mean this to say that 1 trillion is a lot of money, but it still comes back to what you believe AI is- in hindsight, does 1 trillion dollars to build the internet sound like a lot or a little? (That is, spending 1 year of USA's defense budget to get the entire internet)
It comes back to your perception of what AI is because to people who say AI is glorified auto-complete won't believe that the money is worth it.
The AGI-pilled true believers who say it will end all money and result in a post-scarcity world believe literally any amount is justifiable.
Most people, me included, land somewhere in the middle- it seems like AI is a humanity-level sea change in technology and how computers work and serve us. It seems plausible that a few trillion is a reasonable amount.
It comes back to your perception of what AI is because to people who say AI is glorified auto-complete won't believe that the money is worth it.
The AGI-pilled true believers who say it will end all money and result in a post-scarcity world believe literally any amount is justifiable.
Most people, me included, land somewhere in the middle- it seems like AI is a humanity-level sea change in technology and how computers work and serve us. It seems plausible that a few trillion is a reasonable amount.