Artificial Intelligence is rapidly reshaping every facet of modern life, from healthcare and education to finance, governance, and creativity. As the world stands on the threshold of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), the stakes extend far beyond innovation—they reach into the moral, societal, and existential. While narrow AI delivers real-world benefits, it also raises profound risks, including job displacement, surveillance, and ethical blind spots. AGI, still theoretical but aggressively pursued, magnifies these concerns, demanding new frameworks for governance, evaluation, and alignment with human values. The future of intelligence—mechanical or moral, centralized or inclusive—depends on collective choices made today, requiring public participation, ethical vigilance, and responsible innovation to ensure AI serves all of humanity, not just a powerful few.