Featured Image Credit: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images
Topics: Artificial intelligence, Technology, Science
Bec Oakes
Topics: Artificial intelligence, Technology, Science
Professor Stephen Hawking once gave a warning over what he believed could mark the end of the human race altogether.
Hawking is largely considered to be one of the greatest theoretical physicists of all time, with his groundbreaking work including research on space-time singularities and the discovery of Hawking radiation from black holes.
Hawking passed away aged 76 as a result of complications related to motor neurone disease, a condition he was diagnosed with in his early 20s.
Before his death in 2018, he issued a stark warning for humanity, and it appears he was ahead of the curve this whole time.
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The respected scientist was vehemently against the use of artificial intelligence - the application of computer systems to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence - long before many of us even knew what it was, saying he was afraid it would 'replace humans altogether.'
Sharing his concerns with the BBC in 2014, he said: "The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.
"It would take off on its own, and redesign itself at an ever-increasing rate.
"Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn't compete and would be superseded."
Then, in 2015, he was one of 100 experts to sign a letter to the United Nations warning of the dangers of unchecked AI development.
And, one year before he died, Hawking once again warned us about the dangers of allowing our use of AI to expand too far during an interview with Wired magazine.
He said: “I fear AI may replace humans altogether. If people design computer viruses, someone will design AI that replicates itself. This will be a new form of life that will outperform humans."
He also touched on the topic in his book Brief Answers to the Big Questions, which was published after his death, suggesting that it could make us more stupid.
Hawking wrote: "We may face an intelligence explosion that ultimately results in machines whose intelligence exceeds ours by more than ours exceeds that of snails.
"It’s tempting to dismiss the notion of highly intelligent machines as mere science fiction, but this would be a mistake - and potentially our worst mistake ever."
AI has exploded at a rapid pace over the past few years, and given the fact that people are using ChatGPT for everything from writing university essays to creating business ideas and even relationship advice, Hawking wasn't exactly wrong to be concerned.