Worried about AI taking over the world? You may be making some rather unscientific assumptions

Should we be afraid of artificial intelligence? For me, this is a simple question with an even simpler, two letter answer: no. But not everyone agrees – many people, including the late physicist Stephen Hawking, have raised concerns that the rise of powerful AI systems could spell the end for humanity.

Clearly, your view on whether AI will take over the world will depend on whether you think it can develop intelligentbehaviour surpassing that of humans – something referred to as "super intelligence". So let's take a look at how likely this is, and why there is much concern about the future of AI.

Humans tend to be afraid of what they don't understand. Fear is often blamed for racism, homophobia and other sources of discrimination. So it's no wonder it also applies to new technologies – they are often surrounded with a certain mystery. Some technological achievements seem almost unrealistic, clearly surpassing expectations and in some cases human performance.