The common analogy of AI to electricity is dangerously rosy. AI is more like fire: a transformative tool that, if mismanaged or weaponized, can spread uncontrollably with devastating consequences. This mental model better prepares us for AI's inherent risks and accelerating power.

Public debate often focuses on whether AI is conscious. This is a distraction. The real danger lies in its sheer competence to pursue a programmed objective relentlessly, even if it harms human interests. Just as an iPhone chess program wins through calculation, not emotion, a superintelligent AI poses a risk through its superior capability, not its feelings.

Emmett Shear argues that even a successfully 'solved' technical alignment problem creates an existential risk. A super-powerful tool that perfectly obeys human commands is dangerous because humans lack the wisdom to wield that power safely. Our own flawed and unstable intentions become the source of danger.

The field of AI safety is described as "the business of black swan hunting." The most significant real-world risks that have emerged, such as AI-induced psychosis and obsessive user behavior, were largely unforeseen just years ago, while widely predicted sci-fi threats like bioweapons have not materialized.

Many top AI CEOs openly admit the extinction-level risks of their work, with some estimating a 25% chance. However, they feel powerless to stop the race. If a CEO paused for safety, investors would simply replace them with someone willing to push forward, creating a systemic trap where everyone sees the danger but no one can afford to hit the brakes.

The gap between AI believers and skeptics isn't about who "gets it." It's driven by a psychological need for AI to be a normal, non-threatening technology. People grasp onto any argument that supports this view for their own peace of mind, career stability, or business model, making misinformation demand-driven.

AI will create negative consequences, like the internet spawned the dark web. However, its potential to solve major problems like disease and energy scarcity makes its development a net positive for society, justifying the risks that must be managed along the way.

Bengio admits he unconsciously dismissed catastrophic AI risks for years. The turning point wasn't intellectual but emotional: realizing his work could endanger his own family's future after seeing ChatGPT's capabilities and thinking of his grandson.

The most dangerous long-term impact of AI is not economic unemployment, but the stripping away of human meaning and purpose. As AI masters every valuable skill, it will disrupt the core human algorithm of contributing to the group, leading to a collective psychological crisis and societal decay.