AI is not bleeding edge at all.
Vast majority of foundational concepts in AI - and ML, which used to be not exactly the same thing - are 50 years old.
They simply missed the raw computing power to apply those ideas in meaningful ways.

PS: Not to say that nothing happened in 50 years of course, but the field is way older than people usually recognises.

...could find one or two alternative uses for it... :-)

I guess the opposite it's more true: "Where do we have a right to prevent someone to copy anything?".

If you want something not to be copied, you simply do not release it to the public.

Copyright is not a natural right, but a granted law monopoly, in fact originally designed to favour spreading of information; nowadays it's used to the opposite.

I agree completely.
I do the same every week: no social life, working 10-12 hours a day, a great hotel is just a place where you sleep and take showers.

Traveling from time to time is fine. Doing it continuosly is insane.

F**ked job travels :-)