Abstract
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is accelerating societal transformation at an unprecedented pace, generating both utopian aspirations and dystopian anxieties. Human civilization has undergone fundamental changes through every technological revolution starting with the Industrial Age and continuing through the digital era as AI emerges as the next paradigm shift. This paper studies the public discourse on AI by analyzing extensive news headlines on AI using natural language processing (NLP) methods. Our research applies sentiment analysis and topic modeling to a global dataset across education, healthcare, robotics, careers, and society to identify the dominant narratives shaping public perception. Media coverage presents AI as a dual force that brings human benefits and existential dangers according to our research findings. By moving beyond the utopia-dystopia dichotomy, we show that AI's social effects will emerge from the dynamic relationship between governance systems, ethical protections, and human-enhancive AI (HEAI) frameworks. We provide practical insights about AI's future impact and present strategies for maximizing AI benefits while mitigating its risks.