How To Make AI The Best Thing To Happen To Us

From my perspective as a physicist and AI researcher, intelligence is simply a certain kind of information-processing performed by elementary particles moving around, and there is no law of physics that says one can't build machines more intelligent than us in all ways. That helped us win the wisdom race with less powerful technology: We messed up with fire and then invented fire extinguishers, and we messed up with cars and then invented seat belts. So what can we do to keep future AI beneficial? We're on the verge of starting an out-of-control arms race in AI-controlled weapons, which can weaken today's powerful nations by making cheap, convenient and anonymous assassination machines available to everybody with an ax to grind, including terrorist groups.