Stephen Hawking Interview: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Across the broad expanse of history, there have been billions upon billions of idiots, as well as a handful of smart people. We interviewed some of the latter group for our ongoing series, Great Minds, People Who Think Good. This week's People Who Thinks Good, Stephen Hawking. Professor Stephen Hawking is a pioneering physicist, international best-selling author, and a popular guest character on The Simpsons. If you are looking for trouble, you've found it. Yeah, just try me, you... His breakthrough work on black holes and string theory is considered hugely important by anyone who pretends to understand it. An expanding universe does not preclude a creator. I travelled to the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge University to speak with one of the world's greatest living minds. First off, congratulations on being the first subject of our Great Minds series. Be honest, is this the single greatest honour you have ever received? Yes. Good. It's a little hard to read your tone of voice. When you say that, are you being sarcastic? Yes. I thought so. If there is one thing you want people to understand about your work, bearing in mind that most people will never understand anything about your work, what would that thing be? Imaginary time. People think it's something you have in dreams, or when you're up against a deadline. But it's a well-defined concept. Imaginary time is like another direction in space. It's the one bit of my work science fiction writers haven't used, because they don't understand it. Idiots. People are such idiots, because presumably, to my mind, you're simply talking about the theoretical measurement obtained from real time by a wink rotation of pi divided by two in a complex plane where t equals i times t. It's not that difficult to get your head around. Let's talk about artificial intelligence. In a recent op-ed column you said, and I quote, success in creating artificial intelligence would be the biggest event in human history. Unfortunately, it might also be the last. Are you saying that robots are going to destroy humanity, and is that a scientific argument or the pitch for an amazing movie? Artificial intelligence could be a real danger in the not-too-distant future. It could design improvements to itself and outsmart us all. I know you're trying to get people to be cautious there, but why should I not be excited about fighting a robot? You would lose. Well, to start, we don't know that, do we? We don't know that for sure, because what could a robot do that I couldn't then fight back with by simply just unplugging him? There's a story that scientists built an intelligent computer. The first question they asked it was, is there a God? The computer replied, there is now, and a bolt of lightning struck the plug so it couldn't be turned off. Holy shit, that's the most terrifying story I've ever heard. Yes. Hold on. Who is talking to me right now? Is it you, or is it a sentient computer pretending to talk on your behalf? It's me. Yeah, but how do I know that, Professor? Because if computers had become sentient, what better way to convince people they hadn't than by co-opting the voice of the most intelligent man on the planet? You're an idiot. Yeah, but who's saying that, Stephen? You or the machine? Both of us. OK, all right. That's actually quite reassuring. You've stated that you believe there could be an infinite number of parallel universes. Does that mean that there is a universe out there where I am smarter than you? Yes, and also a universe where you're funny. All right. Look, if you're so smart, what number am I thinking of? 13. It was 13. I was thinking of 13. OK, that was a lucky guess. What am I thinking right now? That you've been a huge disappointment for your family. I wasn't thinking that. Why would I think that? I'm trying as hard as I can. Why is that so hard for them to understand, hypothetically? I wasn't thinking that. Let's do some quick yes or no questions. Are the following things technically possible? Life on other planets, is that theoretically possible? Yes. OK. What about a Schwarzschild wormhole? Yes. OK, what about this? Me going on a date with Charlize Theron? No. Not at all? In no universe? No. In none of the infinite universes does that happen? It's completely beyond the bounds of scientific possibility, is what you're saying? Yes. Quick follow-up question. In any of those potential universes, am I the one rejecting her, and that's why it doesn't work out? No. You realise that typing your response is difficult for me, correct? OK, sure, yeah. It's just I'm trying to play this out, because I'm just trying to see if there was any hypothetical hope. It doesn't matter. But never say never. OK, if time travel were possible, would you want to go back in time and refuse to do this interview? Yes. You truly are an incredibly smart man. Stephen Hawking, thank you so much for your time.