For anyone who has ever wondered what is actually going on with AI and suspected the answer is more complicated than either “everything is fine” or “we're doomed.”
AI systems are doing extraordinary things right now. They are also doing things that are confusing, unnerving, and in some cases genuinely dangerous. Nobody can fully explain why they are doing either.
Through original comics, real-world stories, and clear explanations that don't require a computer science degree, Terms & Consequences explores what happens when AI systems are used to cause harm on purpose, what happens when they cause harm by accident, and why the difference matters less than you might hope.
It unpacks why these systems do things we did not ask for, why the most powerful ones are often the hardest to understand or correct, and why we are building them into everything anyway.
And it asks the question that matters most: now that you know all this, what can you actually do about it? The answer, it turns out, is more than you think.
How AI can be used deliberately to deceive, exploit, manipulate, or attack, and why familiar forms of harm become more powerful when they can be automated and scaled.
Why AI systems can produce harmful outcomes without anyone intending them, and how the gap between what we ask for and what we actually mean becomes more consequential as systems grow more capable.
How AI is being woven into the institutions and infrastructures that shape everyday life, from work and education to healthcare, public services, and the law.
Why powerful AI systems can be difficult to inspect, explain, or predict, and why that opacity matters when we begin relying on them for important decisions.
A clear introduction to the ideas that shape today's AI risk conversation, from alignment and interpretability to capabilities, deployment, incentives, and control.
A practical look at the choices available to citizens, workers, parents, builders, leaders, and institutions, and why the future of AI should not be left only to experts.
Comics, diagrams, and prose · Click any page to read full size
