Robots will never rise up against humans and instead will become part of the family, according to a leading expert in artificial intelligence.

We are entering an age in which children will grow up with robot friends and the elderly will be looked after by robot carers, said Dr Nigel Shadbolt, professor of computer science at Oxford University.

But fears that the machines will become sentient and threaten humanity are baseless, he insisted.

"Does AI threaten humanity? Certainly anything you see in Hollywood portrays it that way. They are usually mad, bad and dangerous to know. Essentially, you don't want to get too close to them.

"But this is to misunderstand where the real problem lies. It is not artificial intelligence that should terrify you, it is natural stupidity," Sir Nigel told the Hay Festival.