Does Artificial Intelligence really threaten the future of human race?

Stephen hawking, the renowned physicist, cosmologist and the author, in an interview with the BBC, said “the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of human race,”

Hawking said that the state of artificial intelligence AI today holds no threat, but he is concerned about the scientists of the future creating technology that can surpass humans in terms of both intelligence and physical strength.

It would take of its own, and re-design itself at an ever increasing rate. Humans with slow biological evolution, couldn't compete and would be superseded leading to their extinction. This is clearly seen in the new avengers, Age of Ultron, where Ultron redesigns itself making it stronger and more intelligent. Hawking’s comments closely follow those made by hi-tech entrepreneur Musk, who raised controversy in late October when he warned an audience  at the MIT about the dangers behind AI research.

Musk’s comments raised discussion about the state of AI, which today is more about robotic vacuum cleaners than terminator like robot which shoot people and take over the earth. Musk also said again that the biggest existential threat facing mankind is AI.

Google’s director of engineering, Ray kurzweil, is also worried about AI. He is concerned that it may be hard to write algorithmic moral code strong enough to constrain and contain super-smart software. The machines are slowly but surely getting smarter and pursuits in which humans remain champions are diminishing. For science fiction authors Charles Stross, the dangers inherent in artificially smart systems do not rise because they will out-think us or suddenly realize they can please themselves rather than their human masters.

The whole question of the use of AI in warfare has been addressed last week in a report by two Oxford academics. In a paper called Robo-wars: The regulation of robotic Weapons, they call for the guidelines on the use of such weapons in 21^st Century warfare. “I’m particularly concerned by situations where we remove human being from the act of killing and war,” said Dr Alex Leveringhaus, the lead author of the paper.

He says you can see AI beginning to creep into warfare, with missiles that are not fired at a specific target: “a move that sophisticated system could fly into an area and look around for targets and could engage without anyone pressing a button.”

Looking at this scenario of driver-less cars having to decide whether to protect the life of someone inside the car or of that outside. This kind of dilemmas will emerge in all sort of areas where smart machines now get work with little or no human intervention. Are we just being scared of something powerful or are we right to worry about the rise of machines? What’s your take?