Musk and Hawking, concerned about artificial intelligence, were awarded the Prize for Opposing Technological Progress

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You wouldn’t think of Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking as people who fear technological progress. After all, Musk is the CEO of Tesla, a well-known electric car company, and Hawking is a famous astrophysicist who studies the theory of everything.

Despite this, the two figures were awarded the 2015 Luddite Award by the IT and Innovation Foundation, which is given to those who oppose technological progress. It should be noted that Microsoft founder Bill Gates was also nominated for the award.

Why are the people behind the most significant technological advances of the past 30 years considered anti-technological? Because they are worried about the possibility of artificial intelligence going rogue in the future. The IT and Innovation Foundation nominated 10 candidates, but Musk and Hawking, two so-called "worry-mongers," were elected with 27% of the vote.

The word Ludd originated in England in the 19th century. During the Industrial Revolution, textile workers in England advocated imitating a man named Ned Ludd and destroying factory equipment to resist the changes brought about by labor-saving technology to the factory. Therefore, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary has since defined Ludd as a person who opposes technological progress.

Rob Atkinson, president of the IT and Innovation Foundation, explained: "Musk is the opposite of Ludd, but I think he has been bringing help and comfort to the Luddite community." Musk, Hawking and many experts have been warning in recent years that artificial intelligence will pose a threat to human existence. For example, Musk tweeted in 2014 that artificial intelligence "may be more dangerous than nuclear weapons." Hawking also published an article in May last year saying, "The short-term impact of artificial intelligence depends on who is controlling it, and the long-term impact is whether people can control it in the future."

Tesla and Hawking did not immediately respond to requests for comment.