It's a wikipedia article, and that sentence is intended to establish that the topic is notable: that "serious people take it seriously". It needs to establish t

It's a wikipedia article, and that sentence is intended to establish that the topic is notable: that "serious people take it seriously". It needs to establish this in the minds of a very diverse group of readers. For some readers, Alan Turing is a serious person whose opinion matters; for others, Elon Musk is a serious person whose opinion matters; for others, nobody's opinion matters except their own.