The Worst Thing About AI Is That People Can't Shut Up About It A plea from WIRED's top boss: Say less. I tried to get out of this assignment so many times, in so many different ways. Not every package needs an editor's letter, I told them. I was very busy recording a new podcast, getting ready to speak at a tech conference, eating and sleeping, parenting, doodling, revising my to-do list, retying my shoelaces. I was doing my best, I tried to convey to my editor.

Physicist and thinker Stephen Hawking appeared on-stage at Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal today via telepresence to warn humanity about the development of artificial intelligence. "AI could develop a will of its own," Hawking said in his signature computer-generated voice. "The rise of AI could be the worst or the best thing that has happened for humanity." AI and robots are already threatening millions of jobs, Hawking said, but can be used for pro-social purposes as well. That won't just happen by accident, however.

The highly contentious and arguably irresponsible comments from Alibaba founder Jack Ma around AI and its likelihood of creating a third World War – will have done little to inspire confidence in those that harbour fears around the subject of intelligent machines. For some, the two words placed together spark a sense of dread, trepidation or even fear. For others, it represents the beginning of an exciting new digital world with untold benefits and opportunities. Unfortunately, however, it's often the former, which seems to seep more into people's consciousness. It's perhaps then of little surprise that in a recent survey by the British Science Association (BSA) that 36% of respondents believe that AI will eventually takeover or destroy humanity.

Artificial intelligence is no longer just a niche subfield of computer science. Tech giants have been using AI for years: Machine learning algorithms power Amazon product recommendations, Google Maps, and the content that Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter display in social media feeds. But William Gibson's adage applies well to AI adoption: The future is already here, it's just not evenly distributed. The average company faces many challenges in getting started with machine learning, including a shortage of data scientists. But just as important is a shortage of executives and nontechnical employees able to spot AI opportunities.

Stephen Hawking helps to launch Centre for the Future of Intelligence Artificial intelligence has the power to eradicate poverty and disease or hasten the end of human civilisation as we know it – according to a speech delivered by Professor Stephen Hawking this evening.

Chat bots, robots, virtual assistants and other devices powered by business algorithms are rapidly joining the ranks of workers in every industry and profession. But instead of fearing artificial intelligence (AI) and resultant job losses, it's up to human resource (HR) professionals to cultivate these innovations for the opportunities they bring to people and the company. That way, AI will be a good thing for humanity and not the worst thing to ever happen to humanity." AI and machine learning have potential to address recruiting bias across the job posting, application and screening processes, but only if there are diverse teams of programmers writing the code behind solutions, and HR continuously audits collected data to ensure diversity.

Chat bots, robots, virtual assistants and other devices powered by business algorithms are rapidly joining the ranks of workers in every industry and profession. But instead of fearing artificial intelligence (AI) and resultant job losses, it's up to human resource (HR) professionals to cultivate these innovations for the opportunities they bring to people and the company. I tuned in to a recent episode of Changing the Game with HR entitled, Reimagining HR: Will Machines Replace the Human Side of Business?, to hear a group of smart thinkers share their insights on AI with SAP Radio host and moderator Bonnie D. Graham. How HR can help make sure AI isn't the worst thing to happen to humanity Instead of the usual gloom and doom scenario for unemployed workers, Andi Britt, European Talent and Engagement at IBM, framed AI in a much more positive light. "All of us suffer from information overload so why can't we use technology smartly to do some of the analysis, the filtering of data for us," he said.

Chatbots, robots, virtual assistants, and other devices powered by business algorithms are rapidly joining the ranks of workers in every industry and profession. But instead of fearing artificial intelligence (AI) and the resulting job losses, it's up to human resource (HR) professionals to cultivate these innovations for the opportunities they bring to the company. I tuned in to a recent episode of Changing the Game with HR entitled Reimagining HR: Will Machines Replace the Human Side of Business? to hear a group of smart thinkers share their insights on AI with SAP Radio host and moderator Bonnie D. Graham. "All of us suffer from information overload, so why can't we use technology smartly to do some of the analysis, the filtering of data for us?" he said. "We have really tough decisions to make in our lives every day, so why can't we use those cognitive applications to narrow down options and make recommendations for us? That way, AI will be a good thing for humanity and not the worst thing to ever happen to humanity."

This question originally appeared on Quora. It's true that Elon Musk is seen as nearly perfect (especially in the Quora community). It's because a very few percentage of people can start one successful company, and he's founded three (Zip2, SpaceX, PayPal) and been involved in others (Tesla, SolarCity, OpenAI). He's now leading two companies in two completely different industries that have long-term goals that resemble science fiction. His companies are striving to change the way we live, not consume goods. That kind of success and drive is unprecedented; that's why Musk is hailed as one of the greatest entrepreneurs and the reason why everyone is obsessed with him.

Chat bots, robots, virtual assistants and other devices powered by business algorithms are rapidly joining the ranks of workers in every industry and profession. But instead of fearing artificial intelligence (AI) and resultant job losses, it's up to human resource (HR) professionals to cultivate these innovations for the opportunities they bring to people and the company. I tuned in to a recent episode of Changing the Game with HR entitled, Reimagining HR: Will Machines Replace the Human Side of Business?, to hear a group of smart thinkers share their insights on AI with SAP Radio host and moderator Bonnie D. Graham. How HR can help make sure AI isn't the worst thing to happen to humanity Instead of the usual gloom and doom scenario for unemployed workers, Andi Britt, European Talent and Engagement at IBM, framed AI in a much more positive light. "All of us suffer from information overload so why can't we use technology smartly to do some of the analysis, the filtering of data for us," he said.