Sorry, Siri – there are limits to what AI will do for humankind

Bubbling enthusiasts for robots and artificial intelligence (AI) gush technical about how a new revolution is going to transform our lives. But it isn't clear whether the transformation is going to be favourable or unfavourable. What I read from the geeks is a mixture of two distinctly different visions: first, the idea that we all face a terrible future – involving poverty, loss of self-worth, or even annihilation – as our creation, the robots, take over; second, the idea that the revolution is going to enrich us all and free humanity from drudgery. As an economist, I share the second of these visions. I believe that the AI revolution is broadly a continuation of everything that has happened...