BBC | Serenity Strull/Getty
Why do AI companies want us to be afraid of them?…. Here’s one theory. According to critics, it benefits AI companies to keep you fixated on apocalypse because it distracts from the very real damage they’re already doing to the world. Tech leaders say they’re just warning us about an inevitable future, and safety is a top priority whether it’s now or later. But others argue what we’re actually seeing is fear mongering, which exaggerates the potential of the technology and serves to boost stock prices. And it encourages a narrative that regulators must stand aside, because these AI companies are the only ones who can stop the bad guys and build this technology responsibly.