The claim by Google's head Sundar PichaiFrom Tamil Nadu in India, the Google CEO started his career as a materials engineer. was as big as anyone could make. AI was "the most profound technology that humanity will ever develop and work on... if you think about fire or electricity or the internet, it's like that, but I think even more profound". 

But the history of technology is full of claims that do not stand up to scrutiny. These myths have become popular in our own time.

1. Brain gain It is often claimed that AI will only affect manual jobs. But AI can already do much of a lawyer's work by scanning documents and highlighting the most important parts. 

2. Scrupulous neutrality Some people believe that AI can make better decisions than people because it does not have any prejudices. But AI programmes are created by humans, and reflect their own likes and dislikes.

3. Switch glitch One myth is that you should never turn lights out for a short time, because turning them back on uses up more electricity. FluorescentVery bright. Tube-shaped fluorescent lights are often used in offices. and low-energy bulbs do use extra power when turned on, but traditional bulbs do not.

4. Fry lie The invention of TeflonIts scientific name is polytetrafluoroethylene. is often said to be a spin-off of the ApolloA US space programme which ran from 1961 to 1972 and took 12 astronauts to the moon and the ancient Greek god of the sun, poetry, and archery. space programme. But it was really discovered much earlier, by a team designing refrigerators.

5. Inspired wires Thomas Edison is generally credited with inventing the lightbulb, but other scientists thought of it before him. Humphry DavyA British chemist and inventor. showed off an "electric arc lamp" in 1802.

6. Ford fraud Henry Ford is sometimes said to have invented the car, but he was following in the footsteps of Karl Benz A German engineer whose 1885 Benz Patent Motorcar is considered the first practicable automobile. .

7. Type hype The QWERTY keyboard is used around the world because people think it makes typing as efficient as it can be. It was actually designed to stop the keys of a typewriter from jamming by hitting each other. A more efficient keyboard - the DVORAK - was invented later, but never caught on.

Yes: It will transform every aspect of our lives, from health care and manufacturing to education. There is no problem that it will not be able to solve, allowing humans to make a revolutionary leap.  

No: Eating is the most essential human function, and being able to use fire to cook has given us a far healthier diet. Without fire we would not have the metals used in all the machines we rely on.

Or... The invention of the bicycle is more important than either. It allowed ordinary people to move easily beyond their homes and explore new opportunities in a way that was previously impossible.

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