The Discussion About A.I. Feels New and Scary. But We've Had This Conversation Many Times Before.

At the latest congressional hearing on A.I., the hype was high. "Since the release of ChatGPT just over a year ago, it's become clear A.I. could soon disrupt nearly every facet of our economy," said Rep. Nancy Mace, chair of the U.S. congressional Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation. "The A.I. genie is out of the bottle and it can't be put back in." A.I. does seem like a genie: The technology is new and mysterious, we aren't sure exactly how it works, and we know it is very powerful. We are also afraid of it: In a poll conducted in the summer of 2023, over half of Americans said they were more concerned than excited about A.I.; there is widespread speculation about what effects the technology will have on our economy, our jobs (lolsob), our education system, our art; and tech leaders have warned that the technology puts the fate of humanity at risk.