I very much share your sentiment. The research unfortunately seems to be done where there is most commercial drive for it, which nowadays means tricking people into parting themselves with their money.

> I consider this dangerous, in a way that I can't really put my finger on. Is it merely that some of the best minds in the field are being distracted by selling more crap that people don't need? Or is it that AI will have at its developmental core a model of inducing consumption as its prime directive? Or, am I just an asshole that doesn't like too many things?

http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/

This is long, but very, very good and may clear up some confusions.