In 2023, the policy elites became immersed in a giant work of collaborative science fiction. Both the White House and Whitehall are now gripped by fear of a technology that doesn’t exist and may never exist – namely, a form of god-like artificial intelligence, or artificial general intelligence (AGI).

Deftly weaving themselves into the story, politicians acted this year as if they had swooped in early to save the day. By holding AI summits and drawing up new AI regulations, they claimed to be steering humanity away from catastrophe. Outside, in the real world, potholes proliferate across the UK, NHS waiting lists grow longer and we no longer generate enough electricity domestically to keep the lights on. But at least the future will apparently be safe from killer computers.

It is no exaggeration to say our politicians have bought into a fiction. You could see this back in March, when a member of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, Tory MP Katherine Fletcher, embarked on a very strange flight of fancy. She speculated about how a sentient and invincible computer may one day decide to kill every cow on the planet. Yes, you read that right.