But experts have urged a focus on present risks and AI dangers – such as its potential to reproduce biased information, or discriminate against some social groups.
This is because public data used to train many AI systems can reflect existing societal biases such as sexism or racism.
And while AI tools are growing more adept, they are still prone to errors.
Generative AI systems are known for their ability to “hallucinate” and assert falsehoods as fact, even sometimes invent sources for inaccurate information.
In early 2025 Apple pulled an AI feature after it summarised news app notifications incorrectly, and Google also faced criticism for inaccuracies produced by its AI search overviews.
There are concerns about AI use in schools and workplaces, with students using AI tools to “cheat” on assignments, being wrongly accused of using it and employees “smuggling” it into work.
But writers, musicians and artists have also pushed back against the tech on ethical grounds.
Many have issued statements or signed open letters accusing AI developers of using their work to train systems without consent or compensation.
Thousands of creators – including Abba singer-songwriter Björn Ulvaeus, writers Ian Rankin and Joanne Harris, and actress Julianne Moore – signed a statement, external in October 2024 calling AI a “major, unjust threat” to their livelihoods.
