Have you ever wanted to ask Stephen Hawking a question? Well, now you will be able to, with Hawking set to take part in a Reddit "Ask Me Anything," or AMA, next week.
If you get stuck at work today however, don't worry. Hawking will be taking questions the entire week, starting July 27 and lasting until Aug. 4, then answering questions after that. This should help Hawking get to as many questions as possible.
While a typical AMA is conducted over an hour or so, Hawking will collect questions over one week and answer them over the following weeks. The AMA will be conducted at the reddit.com/r/science. Those looking to take part simply need to have a Reddit account.
The topic that Hawking wants to discuss the most is artificial intelligence, specifically how humans need to ensure that AI doesn't get out of our control. The subject has been of great concern to Hawking over the past few years, with the physicist having signed an open letter from the Future of Life Institute that talked about the potential issues associated with artificial intelligence, despite its clear benefits.
"One can imagine such technology outsmarting financial markets, out-inventing human researchers, out-manipulating human leaders, and developing weapons we cannot even understand," said Hawking in an article that he wrote for The Independent in May. "Whereas the short-term impact of AI depends on who controls it, the long-term impact depends on whether it can be controlled at all."
Of course, the AMA will not be limited to questions on AI, so those wanting to ask questions on other areas of science will be able to do so. Given the fact that it will be the great Stephen Hawking answering the questions, it is likely we will see questions on many different subjects.
The longer AMA format is designed to compensate for Hawking's delayed communications, with the world-renowned physicist suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), forcing Hawking to communicate using an Intel-powered assistive computer.
The AMA is being conducted as part of Nokia and Wired's #MakeTechHuman initiative, which is aimed at discussing how we can use technology to best serve humanity.
"The #maketechhuman debate that Nokia has enabled is all about ensuring that technology serves humanity, in the right way," said Barry French, Nokia chief marketing officer, in a statement. "I cannot imagine a better person to add value to this discussion than Professor Hawking. Nokia is honored, and I am personally honored, by the fact that he will join us on his first ever Reddit Ask Me Anything conversation."
