The year ended with OpenAI teasing a model they claimed showed “glimmers of AGI,” a massive hype high. But 2025 finished on a sobering low: a global consensus that AI-driven misinformation had significantly influenced several national elections. While the technology’s highs were world-changing—from drug discovery to fusion breakthroughs—the social costs were equally profound. As we head into 2026, the question is no longer “what can AI do?” but “how do we live with what it has done?”