Ray Kurzweil: "AI will not displace humans, it's going to enhance us"

Amidst all the talk about how artificial intelligence (AI) is threatening society with great harm--beginning with taking over human-held jobs and then, eventually, becoming more intelligent and taking over the entire world--some experts believe that AI shouldn't be feared. Foremost among these experts is Google's director of engineering and notable "future teller" Ray Kurzweil, who has said time and again that the technological singularity won't necessarily go down as expected. Kurzweil discussed the future of AI at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in Washington, D.C. on Friday. And, while he agreed with Tesla CEO and founder Elon Musk who warned of the potential "existential risks" a super-intelligent AI could bring, Kurzweil said that humanity would be able to overcome these "difficult episodes," if they ever actually happen. He continued by noting that scientific and technological advancements always come with inherent risks and that AI should not be considered any more (or less) of a threat.