Why are governments suddenly regulating AI if it's just software?

[Rory99]

I don't understand why governments care so much about AI regulation. It's software right? Why treat it differently than other software?

[Zach]

AI systems make consequential decisions affecting real people. Loans hiring content moderation criminal justice. Software bugs are annoying. AI bias is discriminatory. That difference triggers regulation

[Sarah87]

Capability matters. Early AI was narrow and weak. Modern AI is powerful and general. When tools become powerful enough to impact society governments regulate. It's not new pattern

[Hollow Pete]

Governments regulate electricity pharmaceuticals nuclear power because scale and impact justify oversight. AI is approaching those impact levels. Regulation is proportional response