Ted Chiang believes it is AIs that have much to fear from us, not the other way around. He points out that to create intelligence, we will need to create something that is capable of suffering. He asks us to consider how little consideration we give to the billions of animals trapped in our system of industrial farming - animals we know are intelligent, feel emotions and are clearly capable of suffering - and then asks if we think we will treat computer programs with more consideration than that. Clearly not!

The correct alternative path is to just not do it. Let’s not attempt to create intelligent beings. Given the suffering we would cause, doing so is profoundly unethical.