AI isn't magic or evil. Here's how to spot AI myths.

Humanizing AI systems also stokes our fears, and scared people are more vulnerable to believe and spread wrong information, said Wardle of Brown University. Thanks to science-fiction authors, our brains are brimming with worst-case scenarios, she noted. Stories such as "Blade Runner" or "The Terminator" present a future where AI systems become conscious and turn on their human creators. Since many people are more familiar with sci-fi movies than the nuances of machine-learning systems, we tend to let our imaginations fill in the blanks. By noticing anthropomorphism when it happens, Wardle said, we can guard against AI myths.