Is artificial intelligence more formidable than nuclear weapons?

Of all the potentially new and revolutionary technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) may be the most disruptive of all. In layman's terms, AI refers to systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual and speech recognition, decisionmaking and, perhaps one day, thinking. AI has already defeated the world's best chess and Pokemon GO players. Suppose AI surpasses the intelligence of human beings. Could AI's super-intelligence cure cancer, enhance wellbeing, redress climate change and deal with many of the planet's worst evils?