Expert desertions shrink AI doomerism

A visible 'desertion' from the very pessimistic AI camp—flagged in the roundup—indicates that elite consensus about existential AI risk is plastic: when prominent figures publicly moderate their claims, policy urgency and coalition composition can shift quickly. Tracking such elite defections provides an early signal for changing regulatory and funding priorities. — If leading voices abandon apocalyptic framings, the policy window for aggressive emergency‑style controls narrows and governance debates pivot toward pragmatic safety and industrial strategy.