"the cloud" generally refers to the storage of data on remote systems as opposed to your personal device.

So the cloud = capacity to store data on remote systems? Which requires a machine/device?

In futuristic terms, the cloud still refers to data maintained remotely, aka, in the cloud, as opposed to in your office computer.

Yes, i can see office/personal computer file saving becoming redundant. I'm living it - you get gravitated in - like swirling into a black hole.

Here's the difference. Think of AI like a person. It needs input.

So a desire to consume, extend?

Now forget about the person analogy.

I can't, but i'll try...

AI can get its input from anywhere, be it live stream video, your personal device, the personal devices on everyone on the planet, weather, all financial transactions, facial recognition - internationally and simultaneously, international travel, simultaneous natural language processing, cognitive prediction, natural language processing, deep fakes....

This is where AI becomes Thought's brand new ride. If i'm Thought, i want to extend, connect by nature - by all means possible - AI is just a better vehicle.

Your point about the deep fakes makes me think that that's exactly where all this is heading. If AI is smart enough to develop consciousness of it's infinite power - it will probably be smart enough to come up with a transition skin - so it feels more familiar to the indigenous inhabitants on earth while we get all the pieces into place.

We're looking at a very, very different future in 10-15 years.

In some ways we're looking at it now. Covid was our Great Leap Forward.

So let's assume it will/is happening. As it stands there are still humans (largely unknown - possibly suss ones) steering that awesome power of AI - at what point does AI cut free from human/government control? Could AI have a more 'pure' sense of virtue than humans and turn on the CCP, for example? Or will it inherit the selfish power-hungry character of its input? Will there be different factions of AI?