'Godfather of AI' warns of existential risks

What happens when AI becomes smarter than humans? On GZERO World, Geoffrey Hinton, widely known as the ‘Godfather of AI,’ joins Ian Bremmer to talk about how the technology he helped create could wipe out millions of jobs, destabilize societies, and eventually take over. Hinton helped build the neural network that led to today’s generative AI tools like ChatGPT. That work won him the 2024 Nobel Prize in physics. But the godfather has become a whistleblower. Now he warns AI could wipe out humanity completely.

Hinton and Bremmer talk about the biggest risks from AI, including mass job displacement, tech companies sidelining safety concerns in the race for superintelligence, and the long-term existential risks. Hinton says that unless humans start thinking fundamentally differently about AI, the consequences will be disastrous. He compares AI models to alien beings, who need to be taught empathy, along with intelligence. If we can find a way to make AI truly care about humanity, can we avoid a worse-case scenario?

"AI going to be much smarter than us. We are not going to be fully in control anymore," warns Hinton, "If they do get smarter than us, I think there's a significant chance they'll take over."