It is a phenomenon unleashed by humans that could reshape life as we know it. Troubling warnings from experts have galvanised public concern about it. Boardrooms are scrambling to understand it. Young people fear it will blight their futures. Governments are drawing up rules to tame it.
Yes, this is advanced artificial intelligence. But it also describes another, more familiar threat: climate change.
This year, as galloping gains in AI technology prompt calls for globally co-ordinated regulation, some experts think we should borrow from the international playbook for tackling climate change. And they are right to do so, up to a point. Both problems are inherently global, so a patchwork of national controls won’t work.