Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER) project has been set up to monitor artificial intelligence and technological advances The web was cited as a catalyst in the Egyptian coup in 2011, for example Global cyber attacks have the potential to bring down governments They threaten businesses, which in turn could damage global economies Elsewhere, criminals and terrorists operate on the so-called Deep Web This could lead to global wars, which could culminate in World War III ArtificialIntelligence is fuelled byadvancements in web-enabled devices Professor Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk have previously voiced concerns that AI could threaten humanity

By Victoria Woollaston for MailOnline

Published: 04:49 EST, 31 December 2014 | Updated: 14:31 EST, 31 December 2014

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The web has democratised information and learning, brought families and loved ones together as well as helped businesses connect and compete in a global economy.

But the internet has a dark side - it hosts underhand dealings, has its very own criminal underbelly, not to mention a rising mob culture.

The threat such technological advances pose to society is so serious, there is now a team of Cambridge researchers studying the existential risks.

The Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER) project has been set up in Cambridge to monitor artificial intelligence and technological advances. The web was cited as a catalyst in the Egyptian coup in 2011, for example, while global cyber attacks have the potential to bring down governments

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The biggest threat to humanity? The INTERNET