Geoffrey Hinton, the renowned computer scientist often described as a pioneer in artificial intelligence, stepped away from his role as vice president at Google earlier this year. He stated that the move was intended to sound a clear warning about the potential risks of artificial intelligence for humanity and society at large.
Hinton expresses concern that unchecked progress in artificial intelligence and chatbots, including systems similar to ChatGPT, could drive job displacement and contribute to the spread of misinformation. He also criticized Google for lifting prior safeguards on AI tools in an effort to stay competitive with other major tech players who are aggressively advancing their own conversational agents.
According to Hinton, his stance on AI began to shift last year as several major technology groups, including Google and OpenAI, raced to develop systems that might surpass human cognitive capabilities. In the past five years, AI has evolved at a pace that makes many researchers wary about what the next five years could bring.
In response to the announcement, a Google spokesperson reiterated that the company continues to pursue a responsible approach to artificial intelligence and is actively monitoring emerging risks across the field.
Previously discussed on socialbites.ca, the coverage noted Hinton’s warning about the potential for artificial intelligence to pose existential risks to humanity, reflecting a broad global conversation about AI safety and governance.