The Real Threat Isn’t AI — It’s Us: Echoes from Stephen Hawking’s Last Book

The last book by Stephen Hawking, Brief Answers to the Big Questions, was compiled as a collection of his statements on the topics that most interested his audience. As it turned out, one of the biggest questions—what we should fear the most—perfectly aligned with my own observations. It’s not artificial intelligence that poses the greatest threat to civilization. No, far more dangerous is humanity itself.

For several years now, the idea of creating a breed of superhumans has been hanging in the air.

Using scientific advancements for this purpose is undoubtedly one of the top priorities for today’s “masters of life.” Gene editing, which Hawking wrote about, is already being actively applied in pilot medical projects—and obviously, it won’t stop there. Does anyone seriously doubt that, in their pursuit of prolonged physical existence, a life without disease and aging, these people will cross any moral boundaries or laws? No? Good. They won’t have any issues with funding, nor with a guilty conscience. After all, it’s not a robot, but precisely humanity that has proven to be the most vile and repulsive creation of civilization.

And what comes next? According to Hawking, superhumans will form an elite class and remove ordinary people from sight. First into reservations and ghettos, and eventually off the payroll altogether.

It’s terrifying, but entirely feasible. And not just feasible—it’s already happening. You can feel the pulse of the work being done in this direction. Just look around and you’ll see the signs.

That said, the book isn’t only about this. The best thing would be to read it in full.