> a shared preoccupation with artificial intelligence, longevity, and the near future

There are strong historical trends (going thousands of years) associating obsession with those three items (human mimicry, living forever, predicting the future) with terrible outcomes for those who pursue them. In stories, religion, myths and all sorts of blurry ancient ruins of people who exist no more.

I don't know if there's a cabal or not, but there's always a bigger fish (and it's often some unforseen social dynamic).