DHAKA: Good news! We might not all die of an AI uprising, according to Eric Horvitz, the head of Microsoft's main research lab.

But, the bad news is Microsoft's founder Bill Gates doesn't agree; he thinks AI will be "strong enough to be a concern" in a few decades, reports The Guardian.

And, according to the report, he's echoing Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking.

So how worried should you be about the prospect that a super-intelligent AI will be created, accidentally or on purpose, and then go on run rampant, destroying humanity in the process? Here's what the experts think.

Eric Horvitz, head of Microsoft's main research lab: "In the end we'll be able to get incredible benefits from machine intelligence in all realms of life, from science to education to economics to daily life."


 Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft: "I am in the camp that is concerned about super intelligence. First the machines will do a lot of jobs for us and not be super intelligent. That should be positive if we manage it well. A few decades after that though the intelligence is strong enough to be a concern. I agree with Elon Musk and some others on this and don't understand why some people are not concerned."

Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and Tesla Motors: "I think we should be very careful about artificial intelligence. If I had to guess at what our biggest existential threat is, it's probably that. So we need to be very careful. I'm increasingly inclined to think that there should be some regulatory oversight, maybe at the national and international level, just to make sure that we don't do something very foolish.

"With artificial intelligence we are summoning the demon. In all those stories where there's the guy with the pentagram and the holy water, it's like – yeah, he's sure he can control the demon. Doesn't work out."

Stephen Hawking, theoretical physicist: "The primitive forms of artificial intelligence we already have, have proved very useful. But I think the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race."

BDST: 1923 HRS, FEB 02, 2015