Is the concept of ai multimedia generation really that bad that it can be considered as a "weapon" instead of a tool?

I've been debating with a friend who's an opponent of the development of AI multimedia generation while I'm one of the ones who anticipates its development. They say that the development of this ai is the equivalent of a weapon because of its cons that outweigh its pros that it could jeapordize a lot of livelihoods through disenfranchisement, propaganda, false information, and such. I personally believe that there will be something that we can use out of the development of this ai in a form of advanced creative tools, but I can't say that I reject my friend's side of the argument. Problem is, can we really consider AI this way that we should halt the development of it immediately, equating AI to a weapon? What are your opinions about this?