Famous futurist explains why we shouldn't fear artificial intelligence

In brief: Ray Kurzweil, chief engineer for Google and famous futurist, spoke in a discussion held at the Council on Foreign Relations on Friday. He emphasized how AI would enhance humankind, despite the possibility of "difficult episodes." 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.