Future of humanity
Barack Obama talking to Stephen Hawking in the White House
U.S. President Barack Obama talks with Stephen Hawking in the Blue Room of the White House before a ceremony presenting him and 15 others with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on 12 August 2009
In 2006 Hawking posed an open question on the Internet: "In a world that is in chaos politically, socially and environmentally, how can the human race sustain another 100 years?", later clarifying: "I don’t know the answer. That is why I asked the question, to get people to think about it, and to be aware of the dangers we now face."[271]
Hawking has expressed concern that life on Earth is at risk from "a sudden nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus or other dangers we have not yet thought of".[272] He views spaceflight and the colonisation of space as necessary for the future of humanity.[272][273] Hawking has stated that, given the vastness of the universe, aliens likely exist, but that contact with them should be avoided.[274][275] Hawking has argued superintelligent artificial intelligence could be pivotal in steering humanity's fate, stating that "the potential benefits are huge... Success in creating AI would be the biggest event in human history. It might also be the last, unless we learn how to avoid the risks."[276][277]
Hawking has argued that computer viruses should be considered a new form of life, and has stated that "maybe it says something about human nature, that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. Talk about creating life in our own image."[278]