AI's biggest threats

If AI were a politician, it'd be headed for a landslide defeat. In the Trump administration, Silicon Valley, and select AI-obsessed homes or businesses, people are euphoric about the fast rise of generative AI tools. These groups see a coming utopia. Almost everywhere else, the vast majority are indifferent, pessimistic—even downright dystopian. The politics are shifting so fast against AI that Democratic governors who championed it are in fast retreat. And things are almost certain to get worse for AI. Here's why: Every major AI company is racing frantically to pump out new, more human-like models and then boast about their awesome capabilities. Every advancement or boast likely causes an equal and opposite reaction from voters. They get more anxious. The AI companies are pouring money into politics, but it's mostly to thwart regulation they think could slow AI, not polish its image. So AI's image is shaped largely by critics or background noise.