AI simply working to satisfy the 'benign' goals given to it by human programmers, without our having adequately considered all possible consequences (which, gua

AI simply working to satisfy the 'benign' goals given to it by human programmers, without our having adequately considered all possible consequences (which, guaranteed, we won't), can be incredibly dangerous. You should read some of Elizier Yudkowsky's writing on the topic, or Nick Bostrom's 'Superintelligence'. I think they articulate quite well the concerns that prompt many of the statements from Musk, Hawking, etc.