'Godfather of AI' Geoffrey Hinton Warns of Existential Threat to Humanity Within a Decade

Geoffrey Hinton, widely regarded as the “Godfather of AI,” has issued a stark warning that artificial intelligence could drive the human race to extinction within the next 10 years. Hinton also believes that AI could make humans the equivalents of “three-year-olds,” with the machines becoming the “grown-ups.”

The Telegraph reports that in a recent interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today program, Prof. Geoffrey Hinton, the British computer scientist who was instrumental in developing the foundations of modern AI, expressed grave concerns about the rapid advancement of the technology he helped create and its potential to threaten the existence of humanity. Hinton, who was recently awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics for his groundbreaking work in the field, believes that AI could lead to the downfall of humankind within the next decade.

Hinton’s warnings come at a time when AI is making unprecedented strides, with the technology developing much faster than he had anticipated. He likened the current situation to the industrial revolution, where machines replaced human strength, but cautioned that this time, AI could replace human intelligence and potentially “take control.”

“We’ve never had to deal with things more intelligent than ourselves before,” Hinton said. “And how many examples do you know of a more intelligent thing being controlled by a less intelligent thing? There are very few examples.”

The 77-year-old computer scientist, who invented a method in the 1980s that enables machines to autonomously find properties in data and identify specific elements in pictures, believes that AI could make humans the equivalents of “three-year-olds,” with the machines becoming the “grown-ups.”

Hinton predicted that AI would dramatically change ordinary people’s lives, just as the industrial revolution did, as documented by Charles Dickens. However, he emphasized that the future of life with AI would greatly depend on how political systems handle the technology.

“My worry is that even though it will cause huge increases in productivity, which should be good for society, it may end up being very bad for society if all the benefit goes to the rich and a lot of people lose their jobs and become poorer,” Hinton cautioned.

He stressed the importance of government regulation in ensuring that large companies prioritize safety in the development of AI. “The only thing that can force those big companies to do more research on safety is government regulation,” Hinton said. “So I’m a strong believer that the governments need to force big companies to do a lot of research on safety.”

Hinton’s concerns echo those of other prominent figures in the tech industry, such as Elon Musk and Bill Gates, who have also warned about the potential dangers of AI if left unchecked. As the technology continues to advance at an unprecedented pace, it is crucial that governments, industry leaders, and researchers work together to ensure that AI is developed responsibly and with the safety and well-being of humanity at the forefront.

Breitbart News reported in 2023 that Hinton had resigned from Google over his concerns about AI:

In a recent in-depth interview, Dr. Hinton expressed regret over his life’s work, which formed the basis for the AI systems used by significant tech companies. He stated, “I console myself with the normal excuse: If I hadn’t done it, somebody else would have.” Industry leaders believe that generative AI could result in important advances in a variety of industries, including drug research and education, but there is growing concern about the risks that this technology might present.

“It is hard to see how you can prevent the bad actors from using it for bad things,” Dr. Hinton said. He emphasized the potential for generative AI to contribute to the spread of misinformation, displace jobs, and even threaten humanity in the long term.