My own suspicion is that a stand-alone artificial mind will be more a tool of narrow utility than something especially apocalyptic.

Human civilization has been changing the Earths environment for millennia, often to our detriment. Dams, deforestation and urbanization can alter water cycles and wind patterns, occasionally triggering droughts or even creating deserts.

Don't expect to be able to upload your cat's brain into your Roomba any time soon.

Everything we think about regarding sustainability - from energy to agriculture to manufacturing to population - has a water footprint. Almost all of the water on Earth is salt water, and the remaining freshwater supplies are split between agricultural use and human use - as well as maintaining the existing natural environment.

A good scenario doesn't make a good science fiction story - but it's a setting within which a good science fiction story might be told.

Is there a better example of natural selection in action than 'Project Runway?'

Intelligence augmentation decreases the need for specialization and increases participatory complexity.