WEBVTT 00:00:04.229 --> 00:00:09.777 Across the broad expanse of history, there've been billions upon billions of idiots, 00:00:09.777 --> 00:00:14.617 as well as a handful of smart people. We interviewed some of the latter group 00:00:14.617 --> 00:00:20.454 for our ongoing series: Great Minds. People Who Think Good. 00:00:20.454 --> 00:00:25.851 This week's people who thinks good: Stephen Hawking. 00:00:25.851 --> 00:00:31.200 Professor Stephen Hawking is a pioneering physicist, international best-selling author, 00:00:31.200 --> 00:00:34.300 and a popular guest character on The Simpsons. 00:00:34.300 --> 00:00:36.900 [Stephen Hawking:] "If you are looking for trouble, you found it." 00:00:36.900 --> 00:00:39.097 [Principal Skinner:] "Yeah. Just try me, you... Oh!" 00:00:39.097 --> 00:00:44.740 His breakthrough work on black holes and string theory is considered hugely important 00:00:44.740 --> 00:00:48.067 by anyone who pretends to understand it. 00:00:48.067 --> 00:00:52.259 [Stephen Hawking:] An expanding universe does not preclude a creator. 00:00:52.259 --> 00:00:57.591 I traveled to the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge University 00:00:57.591 --> 00:01:02.042 to speak with one of the world's greatest living minds. 00:01:02.042 --> 00:01:08.128 First off, congratulations on being the first subject of our Great Minds series. 00:01:08.128 --> 00:01:12.961 Be honest, is this single greatest honor you have ever received? 00:01:12.961 --> 00:01:14.678 Yes. 00:01:14.678 --> 00:01:19.351 Good. It's a little hard to read your tone of voice. 00:01:19.366 --> 00:01:21.738 When you say that, are you being sarcastic? 00:01:21.738 --> 00:01:23.090 Yes 00:01:23.090 --> 00:01:24.638 I thought so. 00:01:24.638 --> 00:01:30.401 If there is one thing you want people to understand about your work, bearing in mind that most people 00:01:30.401 --> 00:01:35.000 will never understand anything about your work, what would that thing be? 00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:36.747 Imaginary time. 00:01:36.747 --> 00:01:39.952 People think it's something you have in dreams 00:01:39.952 --> 00:01:42.500 or when you are up against a deadline. 00:01:42.500 --> 00:01:45.724 But it's a well defined concept. 00:01:45.724 --> 00:01:50.830 Imaginary time is like another direction in space 00:01:50.830 --> 00:01:55.301 It's the one bit of my work science-fiction writers haven't used, 00:01:55.301 --> 00:01:58.137 because they don't understand it. 00:01:58.137 --> 00:02:05.499 Idiots. People are such idiots, because presumably, to my mind, you're simply talking about the theoretical 00:02:05.499 --> 00:02:12.918 measurement obtained from real time by a [?] rotation of pi divided by two in a complex plane 00:02:12.918 --> 00:02:19.969 where "t" equals "i" times "t". It's not that difficult to get your head around. 00:02:19.969 --> 00:02:25.823 Let's talk about artificial intelligence. In a recent op-ed column, you said —and I quote—, 00:02:25.823 --> 00:02:31.574 "Success in creating artificial intelligence would be the biggest event in human history. 00:02:31.574 --> 00:02:34.574 Unfortunately, it might also be the last." 00:02:34.574 --> 00:02:39.323 Are you saying that robots are going to destroy humanity? 00:02:39.323 --> 00:02:43.386 And, is that a scientific argument, or the pitch for an amazing movie? 00:02:43.386 --> 00:02:48.877 Artificial intelligence could be a real danger in the not-too-distant future. 00:02:48.877 --> 00:02:53.862 It could decide improvements to itself and outsmart us all. 00:02:53.862 --> 00:02:57.490 I know you're trying to get people to be cautious there, 00:02:57.490 --> 00:03:02.022 but why should I not be excited about fighting a robot? 00:03:02.022 --> 00:03:03.796 You would lose. 00:03:03.796 --> 00:03:08.378 Well, ok, for a start, we don't know that, do we? We don't know that for sure. 00:03:08.378 --> 00:03:13.827 'Cause what could a robot do that I couldn't then fight back by simply just unplugging him, right? 00:03:13.827 --> 00:03:18.030 There's a story that scientists built an intelligent computer 00:03:18.030 --> 00:03:20.878 The first question they asked it was, 00:03:20.878 --> 00:03:22.734 "Is there a God?" 00:03:22.734 --> 00:03:25.628 The computer replied, "There is now." 00:03:25.628 --> 00:03:28.296 And a bolt of lightning struck the plug 00:03:28.296 --> 00:03:31.210 so it couldn't be turned off. 00:03:31.210 --> 00:03:34.641 Holy shit, that's the most terrifying story I've ever heard. 00:03:34.641 --> 00:03:35.541 Yes. 00:03:35.541 --> 00:03:38.139 Hold on! Who is talking to me right now? 00:03:38.139 --> 00:03:42.461 Is it you, or is it the sentient computer pretending to talk on your behalf? 00:03:42.461 --> 00:03:44.043 It's me. 00:03:44.043 --> 00:03:45.806 Yeah, but how do I know that, professor? 00:03:45.806 --> 00:03:50.582 Because, if computers had become sentient, what better way to convince people they hadn't 00:03:50.582 --> 00:03:55.070 than by coopting the voice of the most intelligent man on the planet? 00:03:55.070 --> 00:03:56.936 You're an idiot. 00:03:56.936 --> 00:03:59.993 Yeah, but who's saying that, Stephen? You, or the machine? 00:03:59.993 --> 00:04:01.774 Both of us. 00:04:01.774 --> 00:04:06.570 Ok. Allright. That's actually quite reassuring. 00:04:06.570 --> 00:04:11.649 In 2006 you said, "In a world that's in chaos politically, socially, and environmentally, 00:04:11.649 --> 00:04:14.619 how can the human race sustain another hundred years?" 00:04:14.619 --> 00:04:19.293 A month later, you said, "I don't know the answer. That's why I asked the question, 00:04:19.293 --> 00:04:23.411 to get people to think about it, and to be aware of the dangers we now face." 00:04:23.411 --> 00:04:26.436 So, it's now been eight years since then. 00:04:26.436 --> 00:04:30.031 No pressure, but, have you come up with an answer yet? 00:04:30.031 --> 00:04:32.333 I still don't have an answer. 00:04:32.333 --> 00:04:37.358 At least the chance of nuclear annihilitaion has diminished. 00:04:37.358 --> 00:04:40.895 But there are plenty of other dangers out there. 00:04:40.895 --> 00:04:46.379 Ok, that's pretty depressing, professor, because —if I can explain this to you—, 00:04:46.379 --> 00:04:52.941 you're the smartest man on Earth. So, if you can't come up with an answer, we are completely fucked. 00:04:52.941 --> 00:04:58.191 Moving on. Sure, you're book-smart, Hawking, but are street-smart? 00:04:58.191 --> 00:05:04.607 I'll give you a hypothetical. You're a mid-level drug hustler. You control around 12 city blocks. 00:05:04.607 --> 00:05:08.641 One of your suppliers, Tito, was supposed to meet you behind the warehouse at midnight 00:05:08.641 --> 00:05:12.056 to give you half a kilo of medical-grade cocaine. 00:05:12.056 --> 00:05:15.184 Tito shows up late, but he doesn't have the drugs. 00:05:15.184 --> 00:05:20.223 He says he was jumped, but he looks high. What's your move, Hawking? 00:05:20.223 --> 00:05:22.727 I don't do drugs. 00:05:22.727 --> 00:05:27.062 Yeah, you know what? That's actually the smartest possible answer, 00:05:27.062 --> 00:05:31.557 because all drug kingpins know that you don't do your own shit. 00:05:31.557 --> 00:05:32.680 Yes. 00:05:32.680 --> 00:05:36.628 Well played, Hawking, well played. 00:05:36.628 --> 00:05:41.399 You've stated that you believe there could be an infinite number of parallel universes. 00:05:41.399 --> 00:05:46.524 Does that mean that there is a universe out there where I am smarter than you? 00:05:46.524 --> 00:05:50.548 Yes. And also a universe where you're funny. 00:05:50.548 --> 00:05:53.755 Look, if you're so smart, what number am I thinking o... 00:05:53.755 --> 00:05:56.212 13. 00:05:56.212 --> 00:06:00.362 It was 13. I was thinking of 13. 00:06:00.362 --> 00:06:03.873 Ok, that was a lucky guess. What am I thinking right now? 00:06:03.873 --> 00:06:09.577 That you've been a huge disappointment to your family. 00:06:09.577 --> 00:06:13.243 I wasn't thinking that. Why would I think that? 00:06:13.243 --> 00:06:18.514 I'm trying as hard as I can, why is that so hard for them to understand (hypothetically)? 00:06:18.514 --> 00:06:20.469 I wasn't thinking that. 00:06:20.469 --> 00:06:22.329 Let's do some quick yes or no questions. 00:06:22.329 --> 00:06:24.638 Are the following things technically possible? 00:06:24.638 --> 00:06:27.886 Life on other planets. Is that theoretically possible? 00:06:27.886 --> 00:06:29.663 Yes. 00:06:29.663 --> 00:06:32.723 What about a Schwarzschild worm hole? 00:06:32.723 --> 00:06:34.428 Yes. 00:06:34.428 --> 00:06:37.361 Ok, what about this: me going on a date with Charlize Theron? 00:06:37.361 --> 00:06:38.731 No. 00:06:38.731 --> 00:06:41.366 What? Not at all, in no universe? 00:06:41.366 --> 00:06:42.504 No. 00:06:42.504 --> 00:06:45.433 In none of the infinite universes does that happen? 00:06:45.433 --> 00:06:47.055 No. 00:06:47.055 --> 00:06:50.664 It's completely beyond the bounds of scientific possibility, is what's you're saying? 00:06:50.664 --> 00:06:53.287 Yes. 00:06:53.287 --> 00:06:58.567 A quick follow-up question. In any of those potential universes, am I the one rejecting her, 00:06:58.567 --> 00:07:00.400 and that's why it doesn't work out? 00:07:00.400 --> 00:07:01.855 No. 00:07:01.855 --> 00:07:07.250 You do realize that typing your response is difficult for me, correct? 00:07:07.250 --> 00:07:09.303 Ok, sure, yeah. I'ts just that I'm trying to play this out. 00:07:09.303 --> 00:07:12.188 Because I just want to see if there's any hypothetical hope... 00:07:12.188 --> 00:07:12.872 No. 00:07:12.887 --> 00:07:15.539 It doesn't matter. But never say never. 00:07:15.539 --> 00:07:23.579 Ok. If time travel were possible, would you want to go back in time and refuse to do this interview? 00:07:23.579 --> 00:07:25.107 Yes. 00:07:25.107 --> 00:07:28.673 You truly are an incredibly smart man. 00:07:28.673 --> 00:07:32.568 Stephen Hawking, that you so much for your time.