The headlines about artificial intelligence are relentless — and often apocalyptic. We’re told AI will steal our jobs, destroy democracy, even threaten humanity. People wonder if they are speaking to a person or chatbot, whether a person or algorithm reviewed their resume, and if a viral image is real or AI-generated. It’s no wonder people feel anxious. It’s completely normal to be wary of a powerful, fast-moving technology we don’t fully understand.
But it’s time to turn that fear into empowerment.
As OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy reminded us recently, today’s AI systems are far from omnipotent. “AI agents will take a decade before they even work,” he said, providing a much-needed reality check. Even as headlines fuel panic, the technology still requires extensive development and human oversight.
AI isn’t a doomsday device. It’s a tool — one that reflects the strengths and weaknesses of its creators and users. Like every major technology before it, from electricity to the internet, its impact depends on how we choose to build, use, and govern it.
AI provokes particular unease because it touches something deeper: our sense of agency. It’s not just that AI might change how we work or learn — it’s that we fear losing our ability to influence or even understand the systems shaping our lives.
That fear isn’t irrational. AI can make mistakes that are difficult to explain. It can hallucinate and spread misinformation. But the answer isn’t panic — it’s governance.
Governance doesn’t slow innovation — it enables it.
AI is only as dangerous as the vacuum in which it operates. Without clear standards and norms, uncertainty fills the space. Sound AI governance — in companies, communities, and smart regulation — isn’t a brake on progress. It’s what ensures AI serves human interests, not the other way around.
We’ve seen this movie before. The early internet invited scams and data breaches until cybersecurity frameworks became the norm. Cars were considered death traps until safety standards and seatbelts instilled public confidence. Air travel became commonplace only after rigorous oversight made flying one of the safest forms of travel. Governance doesn’t slow innovation — it enables it.
The same pattern is emerging in AI. This month, California passed the nation’s first law requiring leading AI developers to disclose how they plan to prevent catastrophic risks in their most advanced systems. It’s an important step — but laws alone can’t close the trust gap. Companies, families, and community institutions — churches, mosques, synagogues, and libraries — must take the lead in encouraging and building governance into every stage of design and use.
Some already are: Earlier this year, the Vatican issued guidance encouraging AI as “a valuable educational resource” — if used with safeguards and preserving the teacher-student relationship. Pope Francis emphasized that the Church’s goal isn’t to stop advancement of AI but rather, to harness its extraordinary potential to serve humanity, especially the most vulnerable.
Likewise, Kentucky, rather than banning AI, is one of the first states to offer formal guidance on public schools’ use of it, with workshops on how and when to use AI safely. It’s being used bridge language barriers, individualize learning for students’ needs, and flag early signs of and reduce chronic absenteeism. They’re using governance as a partner, not a prohibition, to improve outcomes.
Savvy companies are also using governance to enable innovation. Verizon built a Responsible AI framework to ensure customer interactions remain transparent and fair. PepsiCo applies governance standards across farming, logistics, and marketing, linking AI to sustainability and small-business support. Walmart uses AI to train and promote frontline workers into higher-skilled roles. These examples demonstrate that AI governance is a competitive advantage.
Communities are innovating with agency, too. Mason Grimshaw, co-founder of IndigiGenius, is helping Native communities use AI for data sovereignty and cultural preservation — guided by community values and needs, they’re using AI to strengthen rather than erode their community.
Meanwhile, the doomsday narrative does real harm. It fuels paralysis instead of progress. It scares teachers, nurses, parents, small business owners out of a conversation that urgently needs their voices. If people disengage out of fear, we lose the collective wisdom required to shape AI that truly serves society.
It’s normal to be scared of AI. But the cure for fear is understanding — and the path to understanding is governance. That means learning when and how AI is being used, discussing risks honestly and creating clear rules that make transparency and accountability the norm so that we can promote the ways that AI can truly empower each of us.
Governance, not panic, will decide whether AI fulfills its promise. Rather than letting fear take the wheel, let’s steer with clear rules and shared expectations. We have an opportunity at this juncture to ensure that AI can “see” and “hear” all of us — and for them to become tools to lift, rather than replace, humanity.
By Miriam Vogel, President and CEO of Equal AI, and author of Governing the Machine: How to Navigate the Risks of AI and Unlock Its True Potential.
