AI Pioneer Raises Alarming Concerns About Societal Risks
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Geoffrey Hinton, one of the so-called “godfathers” of artificial intelligence, on Wednesday urged governments to step in and make sure machines don’t take over society.
Hinton made headlines in May when he announced his departure after ten years at Google to speak more freely about the dangers of artificial intelligence, shortly after the launch of ChatGPT captured the world’s imagination.
An AI scientist from the University of Toronto spoke to a crowded audience at a collision technology conference in a Canadian city.
The conference brought together more than 30,000 startup founders, investors and tech workers, most of whom are looking forward to learning how to ride the wave of AI rather than hear a lesson about its risks or a call for government intervention.
“I think it’s important that people understand that it’s not just science fiction, it’s not just fear-mongering.” – The Godfather #AI, @geoffreyhintontalking about the risks of AI in the spotlight in #CollisionConfpic.twitter.com/u3iM0LO4hP
— Collision Conference (@CollisionHQ) June 28, 2023
“Before AI gets smarter than us, I think the people who develop it should be encouraged to do a lot of work to understand how it can try to control things,” Hinton said.
“Now there are 99 very smart people trying to improve AI, and one very smart person is trying to figure out how to stop them from controlling it,” he said.
Hinton warned that the dangers of artificial intelligence must be taken seriously.
He insisted, “I think it’s important for people to understand that this is not science fiction, this is not just panic. This is a real risk that we must think about, and we must know in advance how to deal with it. “
Hinton also expressed concern that artificial intelligence will exacerbate inequality due to the significant productivity gains resulting from its deployment to the rich, not the workers.
“Wealth will not go to the people who do this work, it will make the rich even richer and the poor even poorer, and this is a very bad society,” he added.
He also noted the risk of “fake news” generated by ChatGPT-style bots and expressed his hope that AI-generated content could be valued in the same way as central bank cash.
“It is very important that we try, for example, to distinguish between chaff and fat, and evaluate as fake everything that is fake. I don’t know if we can technically do it or not,” he said.
Source: Science Alert
