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"I believe there is no deep difference between what can be achieved by a biological brain and what can be achieved by a computer. It therefore follows that computers can, in theory, emulate human intelligence — and exceed it."- Stephen Hawking

The time when Stephen Hawking predicted that the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race, his was not the only prophecy warning of the dangers of Artificial Intelligence - Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Steve Wozniak also expressed their concerns about where the technology was heading - though Professor Hawking's was the most apocalyptic vision of a world where robots decide they don't need us any more.

Professor Hawking has in the past outlined the potential and the pitfalls of the technology in his usual vivid language. He reviewed the recent rapid progress in areas like self-driving cars and the triumph of Google's DeepMind in the game of Go - and predicted further advances.
AI is increasingly being used in fields such as journalism, law and accountancy. An artificial intelligence system has correctly predicted the outcomes of hundreds of cases heard at the European Court of Human Rights, researchers have claimed. The AI predicted the verdicts to an accuracy of 79%, according to the scientists involved. Even though this has huge potential as a big timesaver in legal cases by automating some of the less interesting tasks and helping people make decisions on chances of success as a tool to advise legal decisions , but some critics say no AI would be able to understand the nuances of a legal case.

AI could lead to the eradication of disease and poverty and the conquest of climate change. But it could also bring us all sorts of things we didn't like - autonomous weapons, economic disruption and machines that developed a will of their own, in conflict with humanity.
Long before the robots decide whether we are surplus to requirements, we are for instance going to need to think about issues such as whether autonomous vehicles should be programmed to protect pedestrians or passengers. One of the concerns is about the impact of automation right now - in Japan at least - on elderly people. The enthusiasm for the use of robots in the care of the elderly and sick and said society would have to ask whether this was dehumanizing .
After decades of research into AI, many still donot see robots replacing humans in functions which require empathy and emotional intelligence. For instance , Artificial intelligence could soon offer governments the chance to cut growing bills for social care - but at a cost for those in need of help.

"In short, the rise of powerful AI will be either the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity. We do not yet know which."