Is AI evil? No, and that question distracts us from the real concerns, says AI2's Oren Etzioni

At times, modern artificial intelligence still feels like science fiction. A few decades ago, the kind of AI programs of today would have seemed almost outrageous -- self-driving cars, systems that have mastered the most challenging game in the world, and even programs that could alert doctors to medical errors before they happen. Despite the incredible progress and potential, public opinion of AI remains rooted in science fiction -- evil entities, out to destroy mankind. The area gets a bad rap in the press, in Hollywood, and even from tech and science leaders like Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk. Oren Etzioni, CEO of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI2) and longtime AI researcher, says this depiction of an "evil AI" is far off the mark from the reality of today's tech.