I agree that the fear of "super AI" is overblown, vastly in my opinion. Discussion on this topic is tantamount to arguing over the attributes of imaginary entities.

Simple artificial life of some kind seems much more likely in the foreseeable future. I've often wondered why no-one has written a virus or worm that is capable of mutation or even cross-over (sexual reproduction of a sort). Under selection pressure it might evolve into something resembling life. The Tierra experiments were a fascinating experiment in this area.