After reading several, but not all, posts on this topic I haven't really seen any discussions on computational vs. non-computational actions. If I am correctly remembering what I learned several years ago on the subject of AI, humans are capable of non-computational thoughts. Thoughts that cannot be expressed algorithmically. Since an algorithm is a computational procedure, basically the action of some Turing machine, and this alone is what "drives" computers, computers could never be capable of non-computational problem solving or human "understanding". Overly simplified to be sure, as much of my writing has been of late. Is Hawking doing work on AI? If not, which I suspect, his opinions carry no more weight than anyone else's on this list on this subject. There seems to be this strange idea that being a credentialed well respected individual in one field gives that persons opinions in another field additional merit.
John Thornton