The big rush behind AI is to see who's first to get contracts for mass surveillance of American citizens. Palantir (owned by Thiel, a South African like Musk with shared views) is getting all of our personal data that Musk vacuumed out of all the government agencies he broke into and use it to sway opinions (like Cambridge Analytica did in that election), trigger people, incite violence when necessary and herd us in the direction they want.
The MSM has helped romanticize the notion of AI in the public eye which leads to discussions like this. It's already working and they're refining it as we speak and debate the issues of it. Why do you think Congress slipped a measure into their bill that forbids any state to ban, challenge or contest the use of AI for the next ten years? They're thinking long term and we're discussing quaint notions and entertaining Terminator fantasies about something more dark and foreboding.
All the best,
Nonoise