I haven't read the book, so I feel I can't give it an honest criticism, but I'm assuming the book isn't so much about what the "peasant" or "teenager" would do with AI, but more what smaller unstable nations with rogue dictators, or terrorist groups, or cartels, etc. would do with it?

At least this is what I find more worrisome personally. But realistically I'm not sure we can keep it away from them, similar to how North Korea managed to acquire nukes, except it seems way easier to acquire powerful AI in this case.