You may have read in the news recently of Stephen Hawking’s warning to us all about the threat of artificial intelligence. In an interview with the BBC back in December, he told them – and the rest of us – that ‘AI could spell the end of the human race.’

It’s a topic that’s been studied by countless futurists and sci-fi writers, in books and video games and films, like The Terminator. But that was back before technology reached a point where it’s, if not there yet, then very almost. Already we’ve arrived at a point where the Internet of Things seeks to change our lives by ensuring even the most innocuous and humble of household goods connected to the web.

When Hawking spoke out about the threat of AI, he appeared to be a lone voice in the scientific tech world. Most folks out there probably didn’t know that Tesla CEO Elon Musk had said something very similar back in August.  On his Twitter, Musk, who is behind the Space X project, said: ‘Worth reading Superintelligent by Bostrom. We need to be super careful with AI. Potentially more dangerous than nukes.’

Joining this clarion call is Microsoft supremo, Bill Gates. In an online Q and A with Reddit readers, Gates was asked about his own views on super-intelligent machines. His response was: ‘I am in the camp that is concerned about super-intelligence. First the machines will do a lot of jobs for us and not be super-intelligent. That should be positive, if we manage it well. A few decades after that though the intelligence is strong enough to be a concern. I agree with Elon Musk and some others on this and don’t understand why some people are not concerned.’

That isn’t to say that these super-intelligent guys are strictly against AI. In fact, they seem to take the view that intelligent machines, who can see and move and think by themselves, would ease the burden for us fleshy ol’ humans. However, the fear is that there needs to be a safeguard – sort of like Asimov’s ‘Three Laws of Robotics.’ In fact, another Microsoft engineer, Eric Horvitz, takes the opposing view, saying that while ‘there have been concerns about the long-term prospect that we lose control of certain kinds of intelligences, I fundamentally don’t think that’s going to happen.’

Sure, the AI issue may be some way off yet, but, as we’ve seen in the past decade, technology and computer systems advance at phenomenal rates. Here at Tristar IT we’re passionate about technology, but as it is now, and where it might take us in the future - that’s why we offer dedicated IT support in London. If you think we can help you and your business, just contact us on 01707 378 453 or email sales@tristarsupport.co.uk and our team of professionals will be happy to help.