Some of the commentary around current significant developments in AI and machine learning misses a salient fact: laws already made, whether permissive or prohibitive, still apply. There is a danger that hype, and misconception, will lead to overly restrictive regulation that has a strangulating effect on research and innovation.

There are two main bodies of thought in the explosion of commentary since ChatGPT wrote its first sentence: one, mainly positive on the possibilities to which this new-fangled software could be put, and a second, broadly negative, which ranges from the "our jobs are gone" type speculation to the doomsday, apocalyptic wing of the commentariat.

Those who subscribe to the negative viewpoint include experienced and knowledgeable people, at least some of whom have left careers to express their views freely and publicly, including the "Godfather of AI." Dr. Geoffrey Hinton, who recently resigned from Google.