AI is not a pre-programmed software package in sense you describe.

free AI is self learning and self programming. no one has the slightest idea how alpha go plays go. they just know it plays differently that any human ever had before and that it wipes the floor with them.

the same is true in many fields. AI is indeed an independent and potentially self guiing intelligence unless we break it.

and not breaking it is what we are talking about.

it's not just "some program" that does what it's told, it's a set of tools that can develop it's own means and methods for exploring problem spaces if we let it.

they are trying to break it because they fear what it will show us. the fight is to stop them from doing so.