Geoffrey Hinton, one of the “Godfathers of AI” and a recipient of the 2018 Turing Award, has left his job at Google in order to speak out about his concerns regarding the potential risks of AI. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Hinton expressed regret about his life’s work, saying that it is difficult to prevent “bad actors” from using AI for nefarious purposes. Hinton had been employed by Google for over a decade, but he recently resigned in order to have the freedom to speak more candidly about the issues that concern him.
Hinton and his students were responsible for developing a neural network that could identify common objects like dogs, cats, and flowers after analyzing thousands of photos. This work ultimately led to the creation of tools like ChatGPT and Google Bard. According to Hinton, he was happy with Google’s stewardship of the technology until Microsoft launched Bing, which challenged Google’s core business and sparked a “code red” response inside the search giant.
Hinton is worried about the spread of fake imagery and text, which he believes could make it difficult to discern “what is true anymore.” He is also concerned about the long-term impact of AI on employment and the potential for AI to write and run its own code. Hinton says that he used to believe that the idea of AI surpassing human intelligence was still decades away, but he now realizes that it could happen much sooner than he thought.
Google’s chief scientist, Jeff Dean, has issued a statement in response to Hinton’s concerns, saying that the company remains committed to a responsible approach to AI and is continually learning to understand emerging risks while also innovating boldly.
As the use of AI continues to grow, it is important to consider the potential risks and take a responsible approach to its development and deployment. Hinton’s concerns serve as a reminder that while AI has the potential to transform the world for the better, it also has the potential to cause significant harm if not properly managed.
