The claim was huge. Google's head, Sundar PichaiFrom Tamil Nadu in India, the Google CEO started his career as a materials engineer., was being interviewed by the BBC when he said: 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".

The history of technology is full of inventions that did not live up to expectations. These myths have become popular.

1. Brain gain It is often claimed AI will only affect routine jobs, so those that demand more thought do not need to worry. But AI can do much of a lawyer's work by scanning documents and highlighting relevant information.  

2. Scrupulous neutrality Some believe AI can make better decisions than people because it does not have any of our preconceptions. But AI is created by humans, who may allow some of their own preferences to creep in.

3. Switch glitch One myth is that you should not turn lights out when you leave a room for a short time, because turning them back on will use up more electricity. It depends on the lightbulb: fluorescentVery bright. Tube-shaped fluorescent lights are often used in offices. and low-energy bulbs 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 US space programme. It was indeed used for space suits, heat shields and insulation in 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. programme, but it was discovered earlier - in 1938, by a team designing refrigerators.

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

6. Ford fraud Henry Ford is said to have invented the car and the assembly line. He invented neither. Karl Benz A German engineer whose 1885 Benz Patent Motorcar is considered the first practicable automobile.  is the person most widely credited with creating the modern car, while the idea for moving assembly belts came from Ford employees - Clarence Avery, Harold Wills, Charles Sorensen and Peter Martin.

7. Type hype The QWERTY keyboard is used around the world on the assumption that the arrangement of letters makes it the most efficient way to type. It was actually designed to stop the keys of a typewriter jamming by hitting each other. A more efficient keyboard - the DVORAK, which has vowels and frequently used consonants in the middle - 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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