Most humans may not fulfill their potential, but they still have the ability to unlock that feature. We can divide humans broadly between producers (leaders, creative minds) and consumers (masses, followers). And yes, the consumers outnumber the producers by a large, magnitude in the different societies we live in. Social hierarchy has its way of distributing roles to individuals.

AI can NEVER truly be like a human. They can mimic humans and do certain things way above our capabilities (in fields of computation, analysis and like). But can AI feel emotions and sadness? Will AI feel pain if we treat them poorly? They may be able to fake those responses but they won't be real.

As for Buddha and the view of suffering, I subscribe to a different philosophical school of thought. I view desires as a good thing as long as a healthy balance is maintained. Life is a beautiful gift, and is to be lived completely with happiness, desires and all the other good things in life.