I agree up to a certain point. I think the game needs a lot more other dangers rather than just people (Which is why Garry is taking a poll, asking us what we want those shitty red wolves and bears to be replaced with)
Dangers are good for certain rewards, but other ways to make the game interesting might be around resources. If the world can be made more varied and you require resources from different locations, it could make the whole maths of farm/raid/trade a lot more complicated. It would be interesting to see different groups trying to control resources and individuals trying to sneak into controlled areas and epic journeys across the map to locate a rare resource... and all sorts of other possibilities.
Competition for resources could ultimately be a much more exciting "danger" than AI monsters, if balanced correctly.