Robot apocalypse in 20 years? Stephen Hawking warns that artificial intelligence is outpacing human development. The end could be closer than we think...

One of the world's most brilliant minds has voiced concerns that our infatuation with artificial intelligence may one day bring about the demise of humanity. Although it is a theme that has run through science fiction for decades, new developments are worrying scientists.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - In 1969, the greatest science fiction film in history [arguably] introduced us to a new villain - a homicidal computer in the form of the HAL 9000 in Stanley Kubrick's "2001 - A Space Odyssey." The film, which was an adaptation of the novel by Arthur C. Clarke, features a super computer on a mission into deep space with a human crew. Tasked with "ensuring mission success" the HAL 9000 concludes that the onboard humans are a liability to success and proceeds to kill them by various means.

Since the 1960s, other books and films have emerged on the same topic. Anyone who grew up in the 1980s can't help but think of "The Terminator" every time they see Arnold Schwarzenegger. Films like "The Matrix" also provide warnings with twists. The Spielberg film "A.I." closes with the revelation that it is robots, originally created by humans, which will survive into the future long after humanity is extinct.

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In a twist, Isaac Asimov's "I Robot" tells the story of a super intelligent computer that uses an army of drones to imprison people in their homes, "for their own protection." While horrifying, there is a cold logic to that conclusion that makes us understand why the computer feels that way. Every day we turn on the news, we are reminded that the most dangerous thing a human can encounter --is another human.

While zombie apocalypses are all the rage in Hollywood, the robot apocalypse is far more likely according to scientists like Stephen Hawking who has recently issued a new warning about the rampant development of AI.

"It would take off on its own," Hawking told the BBC in an interview.

"The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race. It would take off on its own, and re-design itself at an ever-increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn't compete, and would be superseded," Hawking concluded.

New artificially intelligent programs are being developed all the time. The goal is to develop computers that can actually think for themselves. A robot that is capable of thinking for itself could alleviate many of the burdens of everyday life. How much would consumers pay for a robot that did all the chores in the house without having to be asked? Imagine the stress and lives that would be spared if automobiles could safely drive themselves without human attention.

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Scientists are working to do nothing less that replicate the human brain and how it functions and install it inside a computer. They still have a ways to go, but it's the ultimate in divine roleplay. A scientist who could replicate the human brain inside a computer, endowing it with consciousness and self-awareness, as well as free thought, would literally be playing at God.

While nobody seems near this accomplishment yet, many scientists think it will come within the next two decades, so within the lifetime of many people reading this article.

Rollo Carpenter, the creator of "Cleverbot" told the BBC, We cannot quite know what will happen if a machine exceeds our own intelligence, so we can't know if we'll be infinitely helped by it, or ignored by it and sidelined, or conceivably destroyed by it," he admitted.

Carpenter's program "Cleverbot" is a form of artificial intelligence that is designed to learn from past experiences. Right now, it is simply a chat program that talks to you as though you were talking to another person. It still has a long way to go, but it's in the works.

Carpenter believes we will develop "full artificial intelligence" within the next two decades, and that it will also replace many jobs, bringing about social upheaval.

We see it coming, but it seems, the inexorable march can't be stopped.

Our future is moving in an ultra-convenient, yet ultra-dangerous direction. Within just a few years, you will soon be able to control every item in your home from your smartphone. Home security, the heater and AC, your laundry, and even the stove could be controlled from your phone. Your phone will serve as your remote control for your television, and for some people it already does.

This coming revolution in convenience is known as "the internet of things" and it is already a reality for a few people. Within the next several years, it will become commonplace.

Meanwhile, every person carries a modern-day library of Alexandria in their pocket, in the form of their smartphone, from which they can access the entire wealth of the world's knowledge. Likewise, our smartphones know everything about us. They can even listen to us when we're not using them.

This interconnectivity means you can do anything on the go. If you need a recipe, you no longer need to pull your grandmother's old cookbook out of storage in the garage. Now, you can look it up on your tablet computer and within 30 minutes, dinner is served.

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Need to fix something? No need for a repair specialist anymore, You Tube probably has a DIY video you can follow. Soon, a robot may replace you in that equation, preparing your meals and fixing your busted electronics.

Meanwhile, at the same time you're looking up how to repair the cracked screen on your smartphone, terrorists are hacking their way into the systems that manage the nation's water and energy supply.

World War III will not be fought with nuclear bombs which are messy, expensive to maintain, and destroy only single towns and cities. No, WWIII will be fought with computers and will result in permanent power outages. Water will stop flowing to cities of millions, infrastructure will grind to a halt, and within minutes an entire nation can be hurled back in time by a century or more. Why risk a bomber and its crew when a hacker can do better?

Likewise, a super-intelligent computer could discern our habits, conclude that we're not living sustainably or optimally, and deem us to be a liability to ourselves. From "The Terminator" to "I Robot," there are plenty of scenarios that can play out to spell our doom at the hands of our robot overlords.

It is essential therefore that we remember our responsibility as humans and as stewards of creation and that we do not build a new technological Tower of Babel from which only God can save us.

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