A female robot was granted citizenship of Saudi Arabia last week, days before physicist Stephen Hawking warned about the possibility of robots replacing humans. (Photo: @citizentvkenya/Twitter)
Nov 03, 2017
Warning that the development of robots could result in a "new form" of life that outperforms humans, Stephen Hawking expressed grave concerns about the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), in an interview this week.
"I fear that AI may replace humans altogether," said the physicist to Wired magazine.
He likened the potential for harmful developments in robotics to humans' ability to create computer viruses that spread across systems. "Someone will design AI that improves and replicates itself," he predicted. "This will be a new form of life that outperforms humans."
"I believe we have reached the point of no return. Our earth is becoming too small for us, global population is increasing at an alarming rate and we are in danger of self-destructing."--Stephen Hawking
Hawking's warning comes days after a female robot was granted citizenship by Saudi Arabia's government. Google's former CEO, Eric Schmidt, also warned this week that China could rapidly expand its AI development in the coming decade, citing a policy document outlining the country's goal to become the global leader in the field by 2030.
Speaking at a tech summit, Schmidt argued that development of more AI should be the United States' priority, calling concerns over regulation "premature"--a position Hawking and Tesla founder Elon Musk have pushed against.
In 2015, the two scientists penned an open letter warning against developing AI for military purposes--even if other countries do so. "Starting a military AI arms race is a bad idea," they wrote, "and should be prevented by a ban on offensive autonomous weapons beyond meaningful human control."
In this week's interview, Hawking also argued that young people should be urged to work in the sciences and initiate a new push for space exploration--as Earth could become uninhabitable in the coming century, a fear he expressed earlier this year--partially due to the refusal of leaders like President Donald Trump to take steps to combat climate change.
"I believe we have reached the point of no return," Hawking said. "Our earth is becoming too small for us, global population is increasing at an alarming rate and we are in danger of self-destructing."
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Warning that the development of robots could result in a "new form" of life that outperforms humans, Stephen Hawking expressed grave concerns about the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), in an interview this week.
"I fear that AI may replace humans altogether," said the physicist to Wired magazine.
He likened the potential for harmful developments in robotics to humans' ability to create computer viruses that spread across systems. "Someone will design AI that improves and replicates itself," he predicted. "This will be a new form of life that outperforms humans."
"I believe we have reached the point of no return. Our earth is becoming too small for us, global population is increasing at an alarming rate and we are in danger of self-destructing."--Stephen Hawking
Hawking's warning comes days after a female robot was granted citizenship by Saudi Arabia's government. Google's former CEO, Eric Schmidt, also warned this week that China could rapidly expand its AI development in the coming decade, citing a policy document outlining the country's goal to become the global leader in the field by 2030.
Speaking at a tech summit, Schmidt argued that development of more AI should be the United States' priority, calling concerns over regulation "premature"--a position Hawking and Tesla founder Elon Musk have pushed against.
In 2015, the two scientists penned an open letter warning against developing AI for military purposes--even if other countries do so. "Starting a military AI arms race is a bad idea," they wrote, "and should be prevented by a ban on offensive autonomous weapons beyond meaningful human control."
In this week's interview, Hawking also argued that young people should be urged to work in the sciences and initiate a new push for space exploration--as Earth could become uninhabitable in the coming century, a fear he expressed earlier this year--partially due to the refusal of leaders like President Donald Trump to take steps to combat climate change.
"I believe we have reached the point of no return," Hawking said. "Our earth is becoming too small for us, global population is increasing at an alarming rate and we are in danger of self-destructing."
From Your Site Articles
Warning that the development of robots could result in a "new form" of life that outperforms humans, Stephen Hawking expressed grave concerns about the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), in an interview this week.
"I fear that AI may replace humans altogether," said the physicist to Wired magazine.
He likened the potential for harmful developments in robotics to humans' ability to create computer viruses that spread across systems. "Someone will design AI that improves and replicates itself," he predicted. "This will be a new form of life that outperforms humans."
"I believe we have reached the point of no return. Our earth is becoming too small for us, global population is increasing at an alarming rate and we are in danger of self-destructing."--Stephen Hawking
Hawking's warning comes days after a female robot was granted citizenship by Saudi Arabia's government. Google's former CEO, Eric Schmidt, also warned this week that China could rapidly expand its AI development in the coming decade, citing a policy document outlining the country's goal to become the global leader in the field by 2030.
Speaking at a tech summit, Schmidt argued that development of more AI should be the United States' priority, calling concerns over regulation "premature"--a position Hawking and Tesla founder Elon Musk have pushed against.
In 2015, the two scientists penned an open letter warning against developing AI for military purposes--even if other countries do so. "Starting a military AI arms race is a bad idea," they wrote, "and should be prevented by a ban on offensive autonomous weapons beyond meaningful human control."
In this week's interview, Hawking also argued that young people should be urged to work in the sciences and initiate a new push for space exploration--as Earth could become uninhabitable in the coming century, a fear he expressed earlier this year--partially due to the refusal of leaders like President Donald Trump to take steps to combat climate change.
"I believe we have reached the point of no return," Hawking said. "Our earth is becoming too small for us, global population is increasing at an alarming rate and we are in danger of self-destructing."
From Your Site Articles
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.