The rapid rise of artificial intelligence has left many of us feeling a little on edge about what’s coming next. Some people are already leaning on AI for everything from homework and work tasks to, alarmingly, even therapy. Others are more cautious, worrying about how AI might reshape the workforce, or humanity itself.
One person who’s spent decades thinking about this intersection of humans and machines is Geoffrey Hinton, often called one of the three ‘godfathers’ of AI. His prediction for our future is bleak.
Hinton spoke with Senator Bernie Sanders at Georgetown University last week for an hour during which he explained all the scary ways he predicts AI will transform society for the worst.
Hinton was a pioneer in developing the deep learning techniques that now power the generative AI models driving today’s AI explosion.
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One reason behind his foreboding prediction is linked to the rapid growth of AI without our day-to-day. When compared with technological advancements in the past, the rise of AI has been incredibly fast.
“The people who lose their jobs won’t have other jobs to go to,” Hinton said. Tech revolutions in the past created new classes of jobs. “If AI gets as smart as people - or smarter - any job they might do can be done by AI.”
He added, via Business Insider: “These guys are really betting on AI replacing a lot of workers.”
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Hinton has warned that AI will replace humans in certain jobs and create massive unemployment. Another fear Hinton has expressed is the widening wealth gap that AI will help create, as that could lay what he calls a 'fertile ground for fascism' as the rich increase their fortunes inversely with everyone else.
Hinton has also indicated that AI could eventually manipulate and 'seize control' from humans as it increases its capacity for intelligence.
"Things more intelligent than you are going to be able to manipulate you," he outlined in an interview with CBS News, and with projections that we're less than a decade away from reaching artificial general intelligence (AGI), actions need to be taken to avoid the imminent threat.
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He pessimistically joked that he's "kind of glad" to be 77 years of age, as that means he's likely to miss the worst of what AI will bring to the world, and compared the development of AI to raising a baby tiger.
"It's just such a cute tiger cub," Hinton began, but "now, unless you can be very sure that it's not gonna want to kill you when it's grown up, you should worry."