Writers seldom can see mechanical life evolving past homo sapiens without our created descendants wishing to destroy their creators. Of course none of our evolutionary ancestors are still around. The new top dog is never kind to the weak. Clifford Simak left robots and intelligent dogs behind to fondly remember mankind, and in the old days, SF writers like to see mankind evolving past our bodies to become machines, then intelligent energy forms. But for the most part, the world after man, where homo machine rules has not been explored.
Intelligent machines roaming the solar system and galaxy make a lot of sense.
Code of the Lifemaker by James P. Hogan in 1983 explored that concept. I have a friend that staunchly proclaims that if a robot or AI machine ever became self aware it would turn itself off. He firmly believes that it is impossible for a machine to have motivation and the desire to live. Nor does he think it can be programmed into a machine. I don't think this will be true, but he might be right.