I can’t read the NYer article but I wanted to share this article in a similar vein, which has stuck with me for (reads article date) wow, 6 years.

https://www.vox.com/2015/3/2/11559576/the-terminator-is-not-...

This is by Jeff Hawkins and I think his arguments are just as solid today as they were when this was published. The third “misconception” is probably most relevant to discussions of the Singularity.