AI failed miserably in the story telling department. Speilberg didn't seem to know what words were needed to project the ideas he wanted to beam into our minds via the dialog. AI as a film or story idea REQUIRED this more literary projection to work. He did not have our fears and preconceptions to manipulate as he had so deftly done in earlier films. Reducing complex ideas to dialog we can all understand is a talent in and of itself, no less than the talent Speilberg demonstrated in “Jaws”. Speilbergs great talent is very deceptive. The “simple” dialog, scenes, editing etc of his early films has convinced waaaay to many aggressive, intelligent but ultimately un talented people that THEY could be story tellers too. I think Speilberg, hands down, the most imitated Director in film history. Few people walked away from a Jimi Hendrix show saying “I can do that too!”. A LOT of people have walked away from a B.B. King show thinking “I can do that too”! They were of course wrong. Speilberg knew what he wanted to do in AI but he failed to pass that on to us.
But as cinema it was often breathtaking. Sometimes just plain old virtuosity is fun for its own sake. Like a great pianist playing flawed music but playing it really well.