Stephen Hawking continues to remain one of the most important figures of our generation. With his vast intelligence and interesting ideas, he can communicate twice as fast thanks to new technology developed between himself and Intel with the partnership of SwiftKey over the past three years.
During an event in London, Hawking revealed a “life changing” communications platform that he says will “push boundaries.” Hawking’s device is a customized keyboard that is based on a small sensor activated by a muscle in his cheek. The latest technological advancements collaborates with Hawking’s communication system and gives him autocorrections and specific predictions.
This new development will assist him in writing books and lectures much more quickly – one of his complaints was that his word-per-minute rate was diminishing. Hawking, who suffers from a motor neuron disease, celebrated the technology and noted that if it were not for the machine then he wouldn’t be standing here today talking about topics that matter most to him.
“Medicine has not been able to cure me, so I rely on technology to help me communicate and live,” he said. “The development of this system has the potential to improve the lives of disabled people around the world and is leading the way in terms of human interaction and the ability to overcome communication boundaries that once stood in the way.”
Intel confirmed that it will make the software open source and free to use for everyone.
AI will end the world
Hawking warned in an interview with BBC News on Tuesday that artificial intelligence, or AI, will be the downfall of humanity and could very well “spell the end of the human race.” This response was given after a reporter had asked him about the technology behind the platform that does require a little bit of AI.
The bestselling author of “A Brief History of Time” stated that the primitive form of AI right now has been useful, but the more it advances the greater harm it will pose to the world because it could surpass the intelligence of humans.
“It would take off on its own, and re-design itself at an ever increasing rate,” he said. “Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete, and would be superseded.”
This isn’t the first time that Hawking has spoken of gloom and doom of humans. In 2010, he averred that if aliens do in fact exist then they may perhaps pose a threat to Earth. The best solution to take is not to actively seek out for extraterrestrials.
“Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they could reach,” Hawking said. “If so, it makes sense for them to exploit each new planet for material to build more spaceships so they could move on. Who knows what the limits would be?”
When it comes to AI, Hawking isn’t alone in his concerns. We reported in October that Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, told an audience that “we’re summoning the demon” with AI and he is absolutely frightened of the future prospects related to the development of this technology. Musk also tweeted this past summer that AI is a lot more dangerous than nuclear weapons.
