I just edited a book on data science with a fair chunk on AI. These guys seemed to think the hype about sci-fi style AI robots are more about sensationalism than reality. Is that true? Maybe. AI has a lot to offer not in the way of the standard robot we think of.
I had a long, deep night of thinking about artificial creativity after editing the book one night, as I am a writer/poet/artist. If it's coming that robots will be writing the best poetry and novels etc out there, and pretty soon, I at first felt threatened. Then I watched Hidden Figures, and a lot of things became clear suddenly. The "threat" of automation is not new. In the film, the women were "computers" until electronic computers were created. It gave them time and energy to put their brain power into something else, something more complex. And that's how I feel about AI taking over the creativity department as it currently stands. It will free up energy and time to expand, to go explore other areas of my brain if these skills are no longer needed in my lifetime. In any case, the fact that Musk thinks AI could be a serious threat is troubling, considering he is brilliant...
So I will go back to thinking some more. Thanks for the thoughtful post <3