In history, one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists was Stephen Hawking, who gave humanity a stark warning before his death in March 2018. He became famous for his revolutionary research on the structure of the universe and how the Big Bang forever altered our perception of the cosmos. But it was warning words regarding artificial intelligence’s future that struck a chord with many then and still do today.
During an interview with the BBC in 2014, Hawking would caution that the attainment of full AI could mean the end of the human race. He was looking forward to a time when Artificial Intelligence would be smarter than humans because it was growing at an exponential level of intelligence. For humans they are limited by slow biological evolutions but not for AI which can redesign itself quickly enough to outstrip and then replace humankind. This grim forecast has only become more relevant since innovations such as ChatGPT that individuals now leverage to pass law exams, come up with business ideas and even write intricate code.
Hawking’s concerns were shared by other leading thinkers. In 2015, he was one of 100 experts, including SpaceX founder Elon Musk, to sign an open letter to the United Nations, urging the establishment of strict regulations on AI development. They feared that unchecked AI could lead to dire consequences for humanity.
In an interview with Wired magazine a year before he passed away, Hawking restated his concerns, saying, “I fear AI may replace humans altogether.” He warned, and he elaborated in his posthumous book Brief Answers to the Big Questions, that humans might become as intellectually inferior to robots as snails are to us. He described a potential explosion of intellect there, where machines could outsmart humans by an extent comparable to our dominance over rocks.
Hawking’s cautions are an important reminder to carefully oversee AI’s development as we traverse the digital era. Unpredictably, the future may be shaped by the rapid growth of AI. Time will tell whether it changes things for the better or ultimately spells our doom.
