Stephen Hawking was one of the most incredible figures of all time, and the best part is that he wasn’t just connected to astrophysics and cosmology, but also to predictions about the future! Not because he liked to read tarot cards, but in a 1995 BBC program, he explained that 2025 would be a turning point. But what did he sense would happen? Was he referring to space exploration? To robotics and AI?
Today these words ring louder than ever, almost as if we were talking about episodes of The Simpsons.
These words, which today resonate more strongly than ever, are relevant in a world that is moving at a frantic pace, where artificial intelligence, robotics and space exploration seem to set the rhythm.
What did Stephen Hawking predict?
First, he said that space exploration in 2025 would no longer be just a task for government agencies, but that private companies would also play an important role. And you know what? SpaceX and Blue Origin are showing that space exploration doesn’t have to rely on public funds and that they can travel to space (even if it’s only for 23 seconds) with private money.
You know what else he predicted? The problem of space debris. Remember that NASA was offering a prize to whoever could come up with an ecological solution for space debris? Today, satellites and missions have to dodge the junkyard spinning around our solar system… and Hawking knew it!!
The Internet and AI: a revolution?
The ubiquity of the Internet was another of his most accurate predictions. Already in 1995, when the web was just beginning to peek into some homes, Hawking sensed that it would change the way we access information and communicate… 30 years ago!!
But the real “ace up his sleeve” of his vision was Artificial Intelligence (AI), which he described as a phenomenon that would transform our way of working. Today we see it in almost everything: from AI-assisted medical diagnosis to industrial automation and content creation… invaded by AI in record time.
Robotics, a driver of change
Hawking was clear in pointing out that robotics would become a pillar of future society. He mentioned three areas in particular where this technology would have a key impact: industry, medicine and services.
And nowadays, robots not only assemble cars, but they also help doctors in operating rooms and enable much more precise diagnoses. Who hasn’t heard of the Da Vinci surgical systems or the exoskeletons that assist with mobility? They are a true revolution that this scientist predicted 30 years ago!
Robotics in medicine
As we said, one of the clearest examples is how robotic surgery has reduced recovery times, minimized pain and improved the precision of interventions. Hawking’s prediction is everywhere, but especially in hospitals.
Industry and services
Of course, in factories and on assembly lines, these robots have been key, working tirelessly to produce goods at an unbeatable speed. They don’t ask for vacations, days off or breaks to go to the bathroom…
At the same time, automated machines in offices already replace routine and repetitive tasks, freeing people up to focus on more creative work, as IBM has proposed, for example.
Hawking’s forecast
More than two decades after those words from Hawking, reality confirms many of his predictions. We find ourselves at that “tipping point” he anticipated: AI is already a transformative force; robotics has stopped being just a thing of science fiction movies and the space race has new protagonists.
Who was Stephen Hawking?
One of the most important theoretical physicists of the 20th and 21st centuries, specialized in cosmology and quantum gravity. Despite suffering from ALS (diagnosed at the age of 21), he became one of the most influential science communicators of all time. Incredible, right?!
Stephen Hawking’s predictions for 2025 were no coincidence, but a wake-up call to prepare, to innovate and, above all, to use technology to improve everyone’s lives.