Geoffrey Hinton, known as the ‘Godfather of AI,’ recently resigned from his part-time position at Google and has spoken out about the dangers of AI, the technology he helped to develop. In an interview with the New York Times, Hinton admitted that he now regrets his life’s work and warned that the potential threat of AI is coming sooner than he previously anticipated.
He also expressed concerns about the possibility of AI eliminating jobs and causing the spread of false information online. Hinton clarified on Twitter that he left Google to speak freely about the risks of AI, and not to specifically criticize the tech giant.
Hinton, along with two of his graduate students at the University of Toronto, created technology that formed the intellectual foundation for AI systems. In a previous interview with CBS, Hinton was asked about the chances of AI wiping out humanity, to which he responded, ‘It’s not inconceivable.’
After OpenAI released a new version of its AI model, ChatGPT, in March, over 1,000 technology leaders and researchers signed an open letter calling for a six-month suspension due to the ‘profound risks to society and humanity’ that AI poses.
Google created its own chatbot, Bard, a few months later, but Google’s chief scientist, Jeff Dean, said in a statement that the company remains committed to a responsible approach to AI and is continually learning to understand emerging risks while innovating boldly.
However, Hinton expressed concerns about AI-powered chatbots spreading misinformation and displacing jobs, which is a growing concern shared by lawmakers, advocacy groups, and even tech insiders.
Hinton’s departure from Google comes as he joins a growing number of critics warning about the risks of AI. He told the New York Times that he thought he had more time to talk about the potential threat of AI, but it is coming sooner than he previously anticipated.
He said that AI has the potential to eliminate jobs and expressed worries about the internet being flooded with false photos, videos, and text, to a point where an average person will not be able to know what is true anymore.
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