Google’s Chief AI Scientist Departs to Discuss Dangers of AI Misuse
Google’s chief artificial intelligence (AI) scientist, Dr. Geoffrey Hinton, has left the company to discuss the dangers of AI without considering how his views could impact Google. Dr. Hinton, widely regarded as the “Godfather of AI,” has expressed concerns over the potential misuse of AI, especially by bad actors. He believes that the technology could become difficult to control and pose a significant problem in the future.
Dr. Hinton’s views are consistent with those of many others in the tech industry and artists and writers who are skeptical of blindly trusting corporations and powerful individuals to use AI responsibly. The responsible use of AI may be limited and of little interest to CEOs primarily focused on profitability.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has already proposed the banning of AI from writing or rewriting literary material, but studios have rejected the proposal. This highlights the need for ethical oversight and careful consideration of AI’s development and use.
Dr. Hinton, who has an extensive background in academia and early work on AI, believes that if AI surpasses human intelligence, it could become very good at manipulation because it will have learned that from us. He warns that there are few examples of a more intelligent thing being controlled by a less intelligent thing, and it will figure out ways to get around restrictions placed on it.
While Dr. Hinton acknowledges that finding a solution to the potential dangers of AI is “not clear,” he hopes that world leaders will recognize that it is “bad for all of us.”
In a statement, Google’s Chief Scientist Jeff Dean said, “Geoff has made foundational breakthroughs in AI, and we appreciate his decade of contributions at Google. I’ve deeply enjoyed our many conversations over the years. I’ll miss him, and I wish him well!”
Dr. Hinton’s departure from Google is likely to draw attention to the risks of AI, and many will be hoping that his warning will be taken seriously by both the tech industry and policymakers.
