Text 2
Stephen Hawking's warnings: What he predicted for the future
By Paul Rincon Science editor, BBC News website - 15 March 2018
[1] Stephen Hawking's fame was founded on the research he did on general relativity and black holes. But he often stepped outside his own
[2] field of research, using his recognition to highlight what he saw as the great challenges and existential threats for humanity in coming
[3] decades. His pronouncements drove headlines in the media, which sometimes proved controversial.
[4] Leaving Earth
[5] Hawking was clearly troubled that we were putting all our eggs in one basket. Hawking's rationale was that humankind would eventually
[6] fall victim to an extinction-level catastrophe - perhaps sooner rather than later. What worried him were so-called low-probability, high impact
[7] events - a large asteroid striking our planet is the classic example. But Hawking perceived a host of other potential threats: artificial
[8] intelligence, climate change, genetically modified viruses and nuclear war to name a few.
[9] _____________________
[10] Hawking said the primitive forms of artificial intelligence developed so far had already proved very useful; indeed, the tech he used to
[11] communicate incorporated a basic form of AI. But Hawking feared the consequences of advanced forms of machine intelligence that could
[12] match or surpass humans.
[13] Some academics thought the comments drew on outdated science fiction tropes. Others, such as Prof Bradley Love, from UCL, agreed
[14] there were risks: "Clever AI will create tremendous wealth for society, but will leave many people without jobs," he told The Conversation.
[15] But he added: "If we are going to worry about the future of humanity we should focus on the real challenges, such as climate change and
[16] weapons of mass destruction rather than fanciful killer AI robots."
[17] _______________________
[18] The Cambridge physicist regarded global warming as one of the biggest threats to life on the planet. Hawking was particularly fearful of
[19] hitting the moment where global warming would become irreversible. He also expressed concern about America's decision to pull out of
[20] the Paris Agreement.
[21] ________________________
[22] There's a whole field of science dedicated to listening for signals from intelligent beings elsewhere in the Universe. But Hawking cautioned
[23] against trying to actively hail any alien civilisations that might be out there. In 2010, he told the Discovery Channel that aliens might simply
[24] raid Earth for resources and then move on. "If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which
[25] didn't turn out well for the Native Americans," he said.
[26] Controversial headlines
[27] The media attention gave him an unprecedented platform. But some in the scientific community were occasionally less enthusiastic about
[28] the resulting headlines than the journalists who wrote them. But many would also argue that, beyond individual statements or headlines,
[29] Hawking had a unique ability to connect with the public. It's testament to his success as a communicator that the mourning for this champion
[30] of rational thinking extends far beyond the scientific community.
(Retrieved and adapted from from http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43408961. Access on March 27th, 2018)
Answer the question according to Text 2.
Read these statements:
I. Hawking recognized the great opportunities that arose from advances in artificial intelligence, but also warned about the dangers.
II. Hawking was acknowledged by the ability of bringing science to the attention of people who might otherwise have never given it a second thought.
III. Hawking’s comments on the media also focused on topics where he had no special expertise.
According to the text:
