Stephen Hawking had chilling warning for mankind before death

Stephen Hawking once issued a grim warning about what he believed could threaten the future of humanity. Widely regarded as one of the most influential theoretical physicists, Hawking was known for his work on space-time, black holes, and the discovery of Hawking radiation.

He died in 2018 at age 76 due to complications from motor neurone disease, which he had lived with since his early twenties. But years before his death, he repeatedly cautioned the public about a danger he felt was not being taken seriously enough.

Hawking was deeply concerned about artificial intelligence, long before most people understood its potential. He feared advanced AI systems could eventually surpass human abilities and even push humanity aside.

In a 2014 BBC interview, he warned that fully developed AI “could spell the end of the human race,” predicting machines would improve themselves rapidly while humans, slowed by biological evolution, would be unable to compete.

A year later, he joined more than 100 experts in signing a letter to the United Nations urging global action to prevent uncontrolled AI development. Then, in a 2017 interview with Wired, he again expressed fear that self-replicating AI could become a new dominant form of life.

His posthumously published book, Brief Answers to the Big Questions, expanded on this idea, suggesting AI might trigger an “intelligence explosion” far beyond human comprehension. He warned that dismissing these concerns as science fiction could be a catastrophic mistake.

With today’s rapid expansion of tools like ChatGPT, used for everything from academics to personal advice, many feel Hawking’s early warnings now seem more relevant than ever.