One of the founding fathers of artificial intelligence (AI), Geoffrey Hinton – often referred to as the ‘Godfather of AI’ – has issued a chilling warning about the existential threat posed by rapidly advancing AI systems in a recent in-depth interview.
Notably, Hinton expressed deep concern that AI may soon outpace human intelligence in ways we can’t imagine or control, stating bluntly that, “unless we do something soon, we’re near the end” in an interview with Steven Bartlett for his The Diary of a CEO podcast episode streamed on June 16.
Godfather of AI warns about the future
Specifically, he noted that digital intelligence has already surpassed humans in areas like language understanding, planning, and learning speed. Additionally, AI models don’t forget, don’t tire, and can replicate instantly – unlike humans – in a fundamental shift in the hierarchy of intelligence on Earth.
Indeed, Hinton, who helped pioneer neural networks underlying today’s most powerful AI systems, has sounded the alarm about the very technology he helped create, warning that once AI reaches a certain level of capability, it may no longer have any need for humans – or may even see us as a threat.
Drawing a stark analogy for how an AI might view humanity, he pointed out:
“If you want to know what life’s like when you’re not the apex intelligence, ask a chicken.”
Among his greatest concerns are the military applications of AI, such as lethal autonomous weapons, and the potential for advanced models in cyberattacks, mass manipulation, and surveillance. As he added, current regulations are vastly inadequate and in the hands of profit-driven companies and short-sighted governments.
To address the issue before it gets out of hand, Hinton suggests focusing not on ways in which the superintelligence could get rid of us but on preventing it from ever wanting to, and “that’s what we should be doing research on. There’s no way we’re going to prevent it from [being] smarter than us.”
The ‘Godfather of AI’ also advocates for greater public awareness, international cooperation, and responsible development of AI systems.
Meanwhile, AI advances continue, and scientists have just developed a model that thinks exactly like humans and makes decisions in a remarkably similar way to us, which they hope will pave the way to better understanding human cognition.
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