At the moment, I think I'd rather read one of Terrance McKenna's books after reading a quote on wikipedia about an ayahuasca experience where he met "machine elves" 
I agree with you about how AI will likely come about. It may also be a form of intelligence as alien to our comprehension as, well, aliens. While we'll know the physical and programming structure, how can we honestly predict the structure of its consciousness? That's more of an evolutionary thing, whether biologically-based or artificially.
Contact is a favorite, too. It's the best semi-recent science fiction movie to come out of Hollywood. 2001: A Space Odyssey is still my top favorite, and covers some of that incomprehension we'd have with aliens, and them with us. However, to truly have your mind blown on that topic, watch the original Russian "Solyaris" (Solaris.)
Fair warning, it's slow. Yet, I found it compelling enough of a story and topic to keep me watching, like I was studying it, as well as trying to understand what was going on. As I understand what I've read about the writer, Stanislaw Lem, he tried to convey that "alien-ness" when confronted with an intelligence we couldn't comprehend (and it had difficulty comprehending us.) I haven't yet read any of his books, and wish there were translations for the Kindle. In the meantime, I am re-reading James Hogan's "The Two Faces of Tomorrow" which is indeed about developing AI and its evolution to existing with humanity 
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