Famed physicist Stephen Hawking answers questions on artificial intelligence, mysteries of the universe and more.
Stephen Hawking, English theoretical physicist, cosmologist and author has finally, after two months answered questions on reddit’s popular ask-me-anything (AMA) forum.
The reddit forum was started in July and opened with: “This AMA will be run differently due to the constraints of Professor Hawking. The AMA will be in two parts, today we with gather questions. Please post your questions and vote on your favourite questions, from these questions Professor Hawking will select which ones he feels he can give answers to. The date for this is undecided, as it depends on several factors.”
It’s now October, and the answers are here.
Here are few from the many questions:
How long will it take to develop artificial intelligence (AI)?
There’s no consensus among AI researchers about how long it will take to build human-level AI and beyond, so please don’t trust anyone who claims to know for sure that it will happen in your lifetime or that it won’t happen in your lifetime.
When it eventually does occur, it’s likely to be either the best or worst thing ever to happen to humanity, so there’s huge value in getting it right.
Have you thought about the possibility of technological unemployment, where we develop automated processes that ultimately cause large unemployment by performing jobs faster and/or cheaper than people can perform them?
If machines produce everything we need, the outcome will depend on how things are distributed. Everyone can enjoy a life of luxurious leisure if the machine-produced wealth is shared, or most people can end up miserably poor if the machine-owners successfully lobby against wealth redistribution. So far, the trend seems to be toward the second option, with technology driving ever-increasing inequality.
What was the last thing you saw on-line that you found hilarious?
The Big Bang Theory
What is your favourite song ever written and why?
Have I Told You Lately by Rod Stewart.
What is your favourite movie of all time and why?
Jules et Jim, 1962
Dr Hawking, What is the one mystery that you find most intriguing, and why? Thank you.
Women. My PA reminds me that although I have a PhD in physics women should remain a mystery.
