In the world of Mega Man Battle Network (set in the year 20XX), kids have sentient A.I. buddies called NetNavis and they hang out on the 'Net via their Navis, the new Internet (whichthe new Internet, which is in 3D) via their Navis. A lot of kids also use their Navis to NetBattle in a 3D colosseum that can be hosted at home, in designated battle areas on the 'Net, and in arcades.
Really, Navis are friends, assistants, allies, &c in this world. I personally don't see A.I. as entities who want to kill us, so I think kids'll be fine. However, humans are the ones making A.I.s and we are capable of killing, so it's hard to tell. Anyhoo, this is what I think, haha. There are many good answers here though.