• Dr. Geoffrey Hinton, a pioneer of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and nicknamed the ‘Godfather of AI’ resigned from Google to be able to speak about potential dangers of the technology.
• Some of his immediate concerns are around AI being used to flood the internet with fake news, taking over jobs, and its use in lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS).
• The article further discusses the recent worries expressed by lawmakers and tech industry executives regarding AI development and the initiatives taken by different countries to ensure safe AI.
Dr. Geoffrey Hinton Resigns From Google
Dr. Geoffrey Hinton, known as the ‘Godfather of AI’, has resigned from Big Tech firm Google after working on machine learning algorithms for more than a decade so he could talk more freely about the potential dangers of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Concerns About AI
Hinton’s most immediate concern was with how AI is being used to flood the internet with fake photos, videos and text, which could lead to people not knowing what is true anymore. He also worried that it could potentially take over jobs and had concerns about it being developed for lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS). Despite his long life’s work on neural networks, Hinton expressed some partial regret over his work: “I console myself with the normal excuse: If I hadn’t done it, somebody else would have.”
Worries Expressed By Regulators And Industry Executives
In recent months, regulators, lawmakers and tech industry executives have also expressed their concern about further developing AI technologies for use in LAWS or even potentially risky applications in general. In March this year 2,600 tech executives and researchers signed an open letter that urged for a temporary halt of such development citing “profound risks to society and humanity” while 12 European Union lawmakers signed a similar letter in April. In addition to this, regulations are being put into place such as those proposed by EU draft bill that classifies AI tools based on their risk levels while UK also extended $125 million support for task force towards safe development of AI.
Conclusion
With many voices now speaking up against unchecked development of dangerous artificial intelligence technology it is becoming clear that we need better regulations designed specifically for ensuring safety when using such powerful technology both now as well as in future applications.
Takeaway Message
The takeaway message from Dr Geoffrey Hinton’s resignation from Google is that even experts within big tech companies are voicing their concerns over how dangerous artificial intelligence can be if left unchecked due to lack of appropriate regulation or other forms safeguards against misuse or abuse of such powerful technology now or in future applications.