Lots of leading AI researchers actually are taking it seriously, including of course OpenAI, and recently Geoffrey Hinton who basically invented deep learning.
When it comes to people…
Expert who’s worried: conflict of interest or a quack
Non-expert: dismissible because non-expert
Was always worried: paranoiac
Recently became worried: flip flopper with no conviction
When it comes to the tech itself…
Bullish case: AI is super powerful and will change the world for the better
Bearish case: AI can’t do much lol what are you worried about they’re just words on a screen