Stephen Hawking: Human Foolishness and Pollution are the Greatest Threats to Humanity

According to the British site Independent, Stephen Hawking is concerned about the future of humanity; the use of artificial intelligence in weapon production, human foolishness, pollution, and population growth are among the worries of this famous British physicist. In an interview with Larry King on 'Ora' television, he stated, 'Certainly, our greed and foolishness have not diminished.' He further mentioned that air pollution is rapidly spreading, and eighty percent of urban residents are inhaling unhealthy air. Hawking's pessimism regarding humanity seems to be increasing. In previous interviews, although he pointed out the deterioration of human living conditions, he had said, 'I expect we will find a way to move towards the future.' Hawking stated that artificial intelligence could reach a point where it transforms itself, and its rate of increase could surpass that of humanity. According to him, humans cannot predict and control the forward movement of robots. Artificial intelligence is rapidly growing, and researchers are finding new ways for machines to self-learn so that soon they can independently sift through vast amounts of data generated by various devices without the need for human users. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, warned about the threat of 'artificial intelligence in the coming decades' and considered it a serious danger.