This week’s worldwide cover considers the rapid progress being made by artificial intelligence (AI). The technology is arousing a mixture of fear and excitement. The key to regulating it is to balance its promise with an assessment of its risks—and to be ready to adapt.

Leader: How to worry wisely about artificial intelligence
Essay: How AI could change computing, culture and the course of history
Science: Large, creative AI models will transform lives and labour markets
Science: Large language models’ ability to generate text also lets them plan and reason
Science: How generative models could go wrong
China: Can Xi Jinping control AI without crushing it?