Stephen Hawking’s question to China: will AI help or destroy the human race?
World-renowned physicist’s stark warning comes amid fierce global competition to develop artificial intelligence technology
Stephen Hawking has warned China that the rise of powerful artificial intelligence could be “either the best or the worst thing ever to happen to humanity” as the country’s technology companies pour resources into competing with Western rivals in a race to dominate the field.
“We should do all we can to ensure that its [AI’s] future development benefits us and our environment,” said Professor Hawking.
I believe there is no real difference between what can be achieved by a biological brain and what can be achieved by a computer
The world-renowned British physicist made a video appearance in China on Thursday to make the opening speech at the 2017 Global Mobile Internet Conference Beijing, a major annual event attended by thousands of people working in the country’s booming tech industry.
Hawking acknowledges that AI brings positive benefits to humans, especially in its potential to tackle diseases and poverty, and may even be able to undo some of the damage done to the natural world by industrialisation.
But he also posed a big question to China: will AI ultimately help the human race, or is it conceivable that it could destroy it?
“I believe there is no real difference between what can be achieved by a biological brain and what can be achieved by a computer,” he said, adding that AI will be able to redesign itself at an ever increasing rate.