Before his death, Stephen Hawking warned humanity about the developing field of artificial intelligence (AI).
He made it clear that there were some ramifications to moving forward with the advances in AI that we have all seen in recent days.
Hawking spoke during a BBC interview in 2014 and said the following: The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.
Hawking had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) for more than 55 years. He passed away in 2018 when he was 76 years old. Fox News reports that Hawking used a computer to help him communicate because of his condition. His computer was a form of AI, but Hawking was wary of some other formats of AI that have emerged in recent years.
Intel developed the computer that Hawking used to communicate. He was unable to speak in 1985, but he could share his thoughts and ideas via a computer-generated voice on the Intel machine. He still contributed a lot to humanity and our ability to understand the various things happening in our world. He even gave full speeches before audiences with the use of his computer.
The scientist commented to the BBC in 2014 about the dangers of AI. He was asked by an interviewer about potentially revamping the voice technology he relied on to communicate. They wanted to know how he felt about such an idea. Hawkins gave his answer about AI possibly causing the downfall of humanity if it is allowed to run rampant without proper checks and balances.
He said: It would take off on its own and re-design itself at an ever-increasing rate. Hawkins added: Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldnt compete and would be superseded.
According to Fox News, Hawkinss final book hit the shelves months after his death. The book is titled Brief Answers to the Big Questions and is cherished among Hawkins fans. They find a lot of valuable insights in the book, and many say that it has helped them understand some of the different things that they should be asking questions about when it comes to the steady development of the AI products and services that have been flooding the market in recent months and years.
There are a lot of questions still to be answered about the future of AI and its affects, but some respected voices (such as Hawkin) have rang the alarm bell.
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