Tell me about it. The brightest minds are working on ads, and we have AI playing social games.
Can AI make the world better? It can, but it won't since we are humans, and humans will weaponize technology every chance it gets. Of course some positive uses will come, but the negative ones will be incredibly destructive.
Just because you haven't seen humongous publicity stunts involving pratical uses of AI doesn't mean they aren't being deployed. My company using similar methods to warn hospitals about patients with high probability of imminent heart attacks and sepsis.
The practical uses of these technologies don't always make national news.
I'm sure you would also have scoffed at the "pointless impractical, wasteful use of our brightest minds" to make the the Flyer hang in the air for 30 yards at Kitty Hawk.
Can AI make the world better? It can, but it won't since we are humans, and humans will weaponize technology every chance it gets. Of course some positive uses will come, but the negative ones will be incredibly destructive.