Hawking: it's time for GM people

Stephen Hawking, the author and Cambridge physicist, has claimed that humans should be genetically engineered to avoid human intelligence being overtaken by computers in the future.

In an interview with the German magazine Focus published tomorrow, Professor Hawking said computers were evolving so rapidly that they would eventually outstrip the intelligence of humans. Eventually, computers with artificial intelligence could come to dominate the world.

In order to keep pace, human intelligence could be "improved" by using targeted genetic engineering, which could also increase the complexity of human DNA. Alternatively, computers could be wired up to the human brain so they remain tools under human control.

Prof Hawking, holder of a professorship once held by Isaac Newton, said the genetic modification process would be a long one. But he added: "We should follow this road if we want biological systems to remain superior to electronic ones. In contrast with our intellect, computers double their performance every 18 months. So the danger is real that they could develop intelligence and take over the world."