Stephen Hawking on the dangers of advanced AI

Anonymous Coward

in science on 2014-05-04 20:56 (#3JX)

Noted and well-respected theoretical physicist Steven Hawking discusses the potential of advanced artificial intelligence in a recent article published in The Independent. He frames the discussion in terms of "incalculable benefits and risks." Although even the original article is fairly superficial, it raises a good point for discussion: how can we learn to understand and prepare for the implications of this technology today? And who are the thought leaders who are asking (and answering) the right questions about this powerful science ?

Re: internet law? (Score: 4, Interesting)

by danieldvorkin@pipedot.org on 2014-05-05 14:44 (#1CY)

Oh, you're probably right--I make pronouncements about all kinds of things all the time, and if I had the kind of platform Hawking does I'm sure my dumber statements would be blown up to cringe-inducing proportions. OTOH, a lot of people will give such statements by Hawking, or any eminent scientist, far more credit than they deserve, and that's a problem. And it does seem that physicists are particularly prone to this kind of thing, although scientists in other fields certainly aren't immune.