Godfather of AI calls for action 'before AI is smarter than us', warns looming takeover isn't science fiction

Geoffrey Hinton, a prominent figure in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) who is often called one of the 'godfathers of AI', has called on governments to intervene and prevent machines from taking control of society. Speaking at the Collision tech conference in Toronto, Hinton emphasised the importance of understanding how AI might attempt to take control before it surpasses human intelligence.

Hinton, who recently left Google to speak more openly about the risks of AI, expressed his concern that the risks associated with AI should not be dismissed as science fiction or fear-mongering.

Take action now "before AI is smarter than us"

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Speaking at the conference that brought together more than 30,000 investors, tech workers and startup founders, Hinton said: "Before AI is smarter than us, I think the people developing it should be encouraged to put a lot of work into understanding how it might try and take control away."

"Right now there are 99 very smart people trying to make AI better and one very smart person trying to figure out how to stop it taking over and maybe you want to be more balanced," he added.

Hinton emphasised that the risks associated with AI should not be dismissed as science fiction or fear-mongering. He stressed the importance of proactively considering and preparing for the real risks that AI presents.

"I think it's important that people understand that this is not science fiction, this is not just fear mongering," said the respected AI pioneer.

"It is a real risk that we must think about, and we need to figure out in advance how to deal with it," he insisted.

AI, social inequality and fake news

As per Hinton, it's not just the threat of a takeover, AI also threatens to deepen pre-existing inequalities. He argued that AI's benefits and productivity gains are likely to benefit the wealthy.

"The wealth isn't going to go to the people doing the work. It will go into making the rich richer and not the poorer and that's very bad for society."

Hinton also highlighted the problem of fake news generated by AI-powered systems like ChatGPT. He suggested the possibility of marking AI-generated content as fake, similar to how central banks watermark cash money, though he acknowledged technical challenges in implementing such a solution.

"It's very important to try, for example, to mark everything that is fake as fake. Whether we can do that technically, I don't know," he said.

It's not all bad

AFP reports that while Hinton focused on the risks and challenges of AI, other discussions at the conference were more optimistic, focusing on seizing the opportunities presented by AI advancements.

One participant Venture Capitalist Sarah Guo suggested that concerns about AI as an existential threat were premature, likening them to "talking about overpopulation on Mars. "

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.