In a Reddit AMA, or "ask me anything," session today, three computer scientists had two completely different answers to the question.

The three scientists, based at labs in the US, France, and Brazil, definitely have the cred to talk about the issue. Recently, they developed a technique to overcome the problem of "catastrophic forgetting" with AIs. That is, the tendency for artificial neural networks—self-learning computer simulations that model neurons in the human brain—to forget something they just learned when they try to learn something new. So, they know their shit.

Reddit user "Bashos_Sword" asked the scientists how they would "combat" the fears about AI ending the human race currently being stoked by popular tech and science luminaries like SpaceX founder Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking. They got a mixed response.