20 October 2016 Last updated at 14:40 BST
In a short speech, Prof Hawking said: "The rise of powerful AI will be either the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity. We do not yet know which."
Read more: Stephen Hawking - will AI kill or save humankind?
Prof Stephen Hawking has discussed the potential pitfalls of artificial intelligence, at an event in Cambridge marking the opening of the Centre for the Future of Intelligence.