"Godfather of AI" quits Google, warns about technology’s dangers

Geoffrey Hinton left his post at Google to warn the public about the dangers of the technology.

Source: The New York Times

The "Godfather of AI" warns about technology

According to a report by CNN, Hinton, who is best known for his work on artificial neural nets, confirmed that he left his position at Google last week. He was heavily involved in the tech giant's AI development efforts.

I console myself with the normal excuse: If I hadn’t done it, somebody else would have, Hinton said, citing his interview with The New York Times.

He also Tweeted on Monday that he left Google so he could speak about the risks of AI without having to consider how it will affect Google.

I left so that I could talk about the dangers of AI without considering how this impacts Google. Google has acted very responsibly, he said.

Jeff Dean, the chief scientist at Google, recognized Hinton's contributions, while also assuring that the company remains "committed to a responsible approach to AI."

In his interview with The New York Times, Hinton cited his concerns about AI possibly eliminating jobs and creating a world where many will "not be able to know what is true anymore."

He also pointed out the fast advancement of technology, which is faster than what he and others expected.

The idea that this stuff could actually get smarter than people — a few people believed that, Hinton said. But most people thought it was way off. And I thought it was way off. I thought it was 30 to 50 years or even longer away. Obviously, I no longer think that.

Prior to leaving Google, Hinton already warned about AI's ups and downs.

I believe that the rapid progress of AI is going to transform society in ways we do not fully understand and not all of the effects are going to be good, Hinton said in 2021.

Before Hinton, a Google employee had already sounded the alarm regarding AI. The employee who was fired in July claimed an unreleased AI system had become sentient.

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Source: New York Times, Via: CNN