Search Search 'Artificial intelligence alarmists' like Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking win 'Luddite of the Year' award The winners of the award warned that artificial intelligence could one day pose a huge danger to humanity / Getty Although the foundation which gave the award acknowledge Hawking and Musk aren't really Luddites, they said they had contributed to 'feverish hand-wringing' over the dangers of AI 6169789578 Click to follow The Independent Tech A diverse group of scientists and technologists, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and famed physicist Stephen Hawking, have been named as the winners of 2015's 'Luddite Award', for their warnings over the potential dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) and 'killer robots'.
 The award, which is issued by Washington DC-based think tank the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), is awarded annually to highlight the year's worst "anti-technology ideas and policies.
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 While the text of the letter acknowledged that AI could have huge benefits to humanity, it warned the use of the technology in warfare could be hugely destructive, and could potentially lead to the end of humanity if a man-made superintelligence 'turned' on its creators.
 Clearly unimpressed by these warnings over AI, ITIF made a veiled reference to the letter's signatories, by including "alarmists touting an artificial intelligence apocalypse" and "advocates seeking a ban on 'killer robots'" in their list of nominees for the award.
 Artists in Pakistan target drones with giant posters of child victims Artists in Pakistan target drones with giant posters of child victims A poster bearing the image of a Pakistani girl whose parents, lawyers say, were killed in a drone strike, lies in a field at an undisclosed location in the northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
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 Atkinson criticised the 'demonisation' of AI that took place in 2015.
 Read more intelligence "It is deeply unfortunately that luminaries such as Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking have contributed to feverish hand-wringing about a looming artificial intelligence apocalypse," he said.
 "Do we think either of them personally are Luddites?