AI
Y'all realize "Artificial Intelligence" is nothing more than a souped up search engine, eh?
Very souped up. A VW Beetle morphed into a Ferrari. And beyond.
As such, it can be a very useful tool.
And also as such, it will be used for both good and bad.
But it's just software - designed and programmed by people.
Or programmed by people to program itself.
By the rules designed - by people - into it.
But it's still software. Designed by people to operate hardware.
Furthermore, the cat's out of the bag so to speak re the technology; Pandora's Box has opened and as history and legend tell us, there's no closing that box again. Or herding the cats back into the bag.
So keep in mind the political desire to "slow" and regulate AI development is only meant to restrict YOUR access, not theirs.
Keep in mind that the "bad guys" often pay better for talent; goal-oriented projects with incentives and without concern for budget constraints, payroll deductions, and other such legal niceties.
"Brave New World" is probably closer to the future (next week?) than "1984".
Bread and circuses; a time-honored distraction.