Overall, focusing on a cinematic science fiction world-ending hypothesis draws attention away from real problems and consequences of AI development and use that are affecting people today. Issues such as the impact of data centers, degradation of labor, and use of AI to power autonomous weapons are framed as trivial when compared to the prospect of the doom of humanity.

Experts argue that recent headlines claiming that AI models are “escaping human control” or “staging autonomous cyberattacks” are wildly oversold public spectacles, serving as convenient distraction tactics to mask underperforming products and evade accountability.