Stephen Hawking, renowned for his work on black holes, often used his platform to highlight existential threats to humanity. One of his most controversial warnings was against actively contacting alien civilisations, arguing that the consequences could be catastrophic.
In 2010, Hawking told the Discovery Channel that aliens might raid Earth for resources. He drew a historical parallel: 'If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans.'
Hawking also warned about other existential risks, including artificial intelligence, climate change, nuclear war, and asteroid impacts. He advocated for colonising other planets as a hedge against extinction, stating in 2016 that a disaster on Earth becomes a near certainty over thousands of years.
He supported the Breakthrough Starshot initiative for interstellar travel and cautioned against advanced AI, which he said could 'spell the end of the human race'. However, some academics dismissed his AI fears as outdated science fiction.
