What will happen when the internet of things becomes artificially intelligent?

From Stephen Hawking to Spike Jonze, the existential threat posed by the onset of the 'conscious web' is fuelling much debate - but should we be afraid?

When Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates and Elon Musk all agree on something, it's worth paying attention.

All three have warned of the potential dangers that artificial intelligence or AI can bring. The world's foremost physicist, Hawking said that the full development of artificial intelligence (AI) could "spell the end of the human race". Musk, the tech entrepreneur who brought us PayPal, Tesla and SpaceX described artificial intelligence as our "biggest existential threat" and said that playing around with AI was like "summoning the demon". Gates, who knows a thing or two about tech, puts himself in the "concerned" camp when it comes to machines becoming too intelligent for us humans to control.