The incredible predictions made 30 years ago by Stephen Hawking for 2025: surprisingly accurate

Stephen Hawking, the world-renowned physicist, passed away in 2018, but his scholarship allowed him a special view into the world we live in today and the impact technological advancements might have on our way of life.

Thirty years ago, Hawking, who taught for decades at the University of Cambridge for much of his career, was interviewed in the BBC series ‘Tomorrow’s World,' where he made a series of predictions about what life could be like in 2025.

What Hawking got right about the internet

“By 2025 we can expect big changes‚" said Hawking during the television program, focusing his predictions on the internet’s impact on life in the 21st century.

The changes he foresaw were “exciting” and “alarming,” and primarily centered on the expanding role of the internet in our lives.

The one thing that we can be sure of is that it will be very different, and probably not what we expect.

Stephen Hawking on life in 2025

The digital ecosystem brought to life by the internet

Hawking saw the internet being developed throughout his career, and recognized the power of the tool being developed. “The internet is a bit like the ocean in which life first developed,” said Hawking, setting the stage. He described computer viruses as “a form of life” that can survive in that digital ocean and might reach a level where they can no longer be controlled. The benefit of 1995, for Hawking, was that the internet could be turned off if the viruses became too powerful, but that in a few decades, there would be no such option.

The show ran with the idea, bringing to life scenes of cyber attacks on banks, and a resistance hacking movement created after much of the internet had been privatized, and access curtailed.

Hacking was a concern for Hawking and other early observers of the internet’s development, and many saw that the tensions between privatization and the emergence of hacking as a weapon.

Nevertheless, the internet remains a scammer’s dream, with new ways to steal someone’s private information popping up at a rate that law enforcement and the law have shown themselves incapable of keeping up with.

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.