Oil Fears and AI Uncertainty Spark US Stock Sell-Off

US stock futures indicated a weak start on Monday as rising oil prices and renewed concerns about artificial intelligence development pushed investors into a cautious mood.

Nasdaq futures fell 1.52%, with technology and AI-linked stocks suffering the biggest decline.

The sell-off was driven by two major concerns: higher energy prices due to supply risks in West Asia and uncertainty over the future pace of AI development.

Oil prices jumped nearly 3% as Brent crude climbed towards $108 a barrel, fueled by fresh strikes involving Saudi Arabia and ships in the Gulf raising concerns about global energy supplies.

The comments from OpenAI's Sam Altman and Anthropic's Dario Amodei calling for a slowdown in AI development added to the uncertainty.