Artificial Intelligence: Threat or Opportunity?

'Humans' has returned to our TVs, and brought with it a realisation of the fear that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will one day gain consciousness and run riot. In it we see the'Synths' fighting for their rights, vulnerable in their humanity. But we also see the darker, riskier side in Niska, who distrusts humans but is more volatile in her reactions. We know she has killed, and it's her representation of AI that we really fear. Humans isn't the first to bring this conscious AI danger to life; for me, the most haunting representation is Ex Machina, where (spoiler alert!) Ava successfully manipulates Caleb into falling in love with her and setting her free, then leaves him stranded. That's where the film ends; nobody knows what she goes on to do, and our imaginations run riot.