Let me put it this way, Mr. Amor. The 9000 series is the most reliable computer ever made. No 9000 computer has ever made a mistake or distorted information. We are all, by any practical definition of the words, foolproof and incapable of error.
I don’t feel too threatened by Artificial Intelligence because it’s not. For the most part it’s the same Garbage Out that you put In with the additional possibility of errors and unintended consequences. Computers are good at repetitive tasks (of which there are far more than you would think) but as for training- babies are quicker, easier, and tastier.
I would never, ever design one without a hardware off switch though I might not make it obvious to discourage casual use (using the Janet Kill Button just to get slapped in the face by Andie MacDowell again has to be bad for your Karma dude).
The problem as Atrios would put it, is not so much that they’re imperfect, but that people think they are perfect. To me the big deal is not that they break, it’s that they work at all. It’s a miracle, like a singing dog. Who cares that the only tune he knows is “Never Gonna Give You Up”?