Futurism – “There’s no limit to the promise of artificial intelligence. Or at least, there’s no limit to the promises that the powerful make about AI. We’re told by tech companies and their investors that AI has the capacity to transform everything, making us more productive workers and more efficient learners — before eventually making us obsolete by AI agents that “won’t complain about work-life balance” while they automate away the majority of our jobs. And of course, all these promises are steps along the path to constructing a cyber-god in the form of artificial general intelligence. But the future is a fickle thing. It can fail to materialize in the way envisioned. Our expectations for emerging tech are always at risk of being dashed against the rocks of reality. We often look to science fiction as a beacon that can help us navigate the waves of uncertainty, predict the future of tech, and discern what it means for society. However, if we want to understand what fuels the AI boom — and how the bubble might burst — the best analogy comes instead from children’s fantasy. In the story of “Peter Pan,” the fairy Tinkerbell only exists if people believe in her and clap for her. Once we stop believing in her magic, she starts fading away. It’s at this point she implores Peter Pan — and the broader audience — to clap as loud as they can. Tinkerbell is sustained by our attention…”