[mdp2021]

You are pointing to the risk that rogue engineers deluded themselves thinking that past technologies were not "that" devastating. That would be an error on more sides: not only you have not died by fall until the ground so past trend does not determine the future, but also, some past technologies /have/ been devastating.

Still, it is pretty uncommon in general to develop a «highly contagious bio-weapon»: when it happens - and it happens - the destructive context is clear. But there are also very many cases in which the productive or destructive adoption of an otherwise neutral technology is critical. The progresses enabled by Yann LeCun: recognize targets, or thieves, or citizens, or tumors...