WASHINGTON (AP) — Artificial intelligence is beginning to allow many employers to automate functions long performed by human workers. Yet the recent experiences of a number of companies suggests that AI may not prove to be the job killer that many people have feared. Instead, the technology might turn out to be more like major technological breakthroughs of the past — the steam engine, electricity, the Internet: That is, eliminate some jobs while creating others. And probably making workers more productive in general, to the eventual benefit of themselves, their employers and the economy.