AI Absolutism: The Apocalyptic Future Is Not Inevitable

Everything we hear about artificial intelligence is conflicting—and inescapable. AI is terrible. AI is wonderful. It will break the world. It will transform the future. Some say we must embrace it. Others call it a moral imperative to abstain. This binary thinking, known as AI absolutism, is breaking our brains. But the apocalyptic future being sold to us is not inevitable. Nor is the dreamy promise that this tech will unlock boundless potential and productivity. Already, AI is projected to generate nearly unfathomable revenue. In the last quarter of 2025, it represented nearly 60% of the growth in the US economy. Already, pundits and economists worry about what calamity will befall us if and when the AI bubble bursts. The truth is more complex. The future is not written.