Stephen Hawking says creating AI is the biggest event of our civilisation

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By Matthew Griffin Intelligence and the Senses 22nd October 2016

WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

Artificial intelligence can do great good, or great evil.

Speaking at the launch of the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI), a new artificial intelligence (AI) think tank based in Cambridge, that aims to help shape how AI is developed, used and regulated, Stephen Hawking warned listeners about the future of AI and humanity.

“Success in creating AI could be the biggest event in the history of our civilization,” Hawking acknowledged, noting the unprecedented and rapid development of AI technology in recent years, from self-driving cars to a computer playing, and defeating humans, in a game of Go.

“But it could also be the last,” he warned.

Stephen Hawking talking at the opening of CFI

This isn’t the irrational ramblings of a technophobe. Quite the contrary, in fact. Hawking himself acknowledges the value of AI and what it could contribute to humanity’s future, saying he believes artificial intelligence and this century’s technological revolution will parallel the previous century’s industrial one.

“The potential benefits of creating intelligence are huge. We cannot predict what we might achieve, when our own minds are amplified by AI,” said Hawking.

But Hawking is also incredibly aware of the potential dangers associated with AI.

“Alongside the benefits, AI will also bring dangers, like powerful autonomous weapons, or new ways for the few to oppress the many,” Hawking added during his speech. He also hinted at the singularity being a possibility, when AI develops a will of its own that could conflict with the will of humanity.

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According AI pioneer Maggie Boden, who sits on the center’s advisory board, that’s where CFI comes into play.

Speaking at the launch event, she said, “CFI aims to pre-empt these dangers, by guiding AI development in human-friendly ways.”

The $12 million interdisciplinary think tank will work hand in hand with policy makers and members of the tech industry, such as Microsoft, Google and IBM, who recently formed their own AI oversight consortium, to investigate topics associated with the growth of AI in today’s world — from regulating autonomous weapons to AI’s implications in democracy.

Cambridge, Oxford, Berkeley, and Imperial College, London, are behind the initiative, so some of the best minds on the planet will be working together to shape the future of AI.

“The research done by this center is crucial to the future of our civilization and of our species,” a hopeful Hawking concluded during his speech.

AI is like any life-changing technology in that it’s not the development itself that can be good or bad. The people who develop the tech are responsible for determining how it’s used, and despite his ominous warnings, Hawking’s work with CFI seems to prove he believes that AI technology isn’t to be feared given the right research and preparation.

Matthew Griffin / About Author

Described by NASA as a "Walking Encyclopaedia of the Future" and one of the world’s most in demand keynote speakers Matthew Griffin, Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm, is a multi-award winning Futurist and strategic foresight expert, author, lecturer, mentor, podcast and YouTube host.

With a distinguished career running global business units at Atos, EMC, and IBM today Matthew helps leaders and titans of industry from all over the world explore the impact of the inter sections of technology, culture, and leadership, then helps them create high performance organisations that can continuously disrupt, outpace, and outthink their competition.

15 times author of the hit series the Codex of the Future series Matthew's ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends on global business, culture, and society has earned him a powerful reputation and a roster of clients that include royal households, world leaders across the G7, G20, and G77, and many of the world's most recognised and exceptional organisations including ABB, Accenture, ABN Amro, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi Group, Coca Cola, Deloitte, Dentons, Disney, Dow, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Microsoft, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Nokia, Paramount, PepsiCo, PWC, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, T-Mobile, UBS, Visa, WIRED, WPP and hundreds of others.

Matthew is regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, and his mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.