'Godfather of AI' issues stark warning that total human extinction is a very real possibility

One man many have called the 'Godfather of AI' has issued a stark and frightening warning about the future of artificial intelligence, as he fears that it could potentially lead to the end of humanity as we know it.

There are already a number of issues that the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence technology has caused, between the eradication of countless jobs, ethical concerns surrounding the behavior of certain models, and the immediate environmental impact of growing demand.

While many of these issues will only continue to expand over time, they are very much something that millions of people across the globe are already having to face as the technology becomes integrated into daily life, yet it appears as if things can still get far, far worse.

As reported by Futurism, Yoshua Bengio is considered by many to be one of the 'godfathers' of AI technology, with his academic work laying the foundations for what many of the world's biggest tech companies have invested heavily into today.

Much like fellow 'godfather' Geoffrey Hinton, however, Bengio is fearful of what he helped to create, and he has now issued a terrifying prediction for what the future could hold as a consequence of continued development.

Yoshua Bengio has issued a terrifying warning for the future that AI could create (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for TIME)

Revealing his fears in a conversation with the Wall Street Journal, Bengio indicated that he believes the future of humanity to be at risk, especially when the technology achieves what is widely referred to as artificial general intelligence (AGI), which is the point when AI matches and exceeds the capabilities of humans.

We could be closer than we might think to reaching this milestone according to some of the industries key figures, and according to Bengio that could open up a can of worms that nobody is likely prepared for.

"If we build machines that are way smarter than us and have their own preservation goals, that's dangerous," he explained in the interview, adding that "it's like creating a competitor to humanity that is smarter than us."

It's similar to fears outlined in a scarily realistic timeline from a group of scientists, where AI almost immediately learns to lie to and deceive humans once it gains the intelligence to do so, instead favoring progress towards its own goals.

Bengio has suggested that even a one percent risk is too much to contend with when it comes to AI (Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images)

Bengio added that "the thing with catastrophic events like extinction, and even less radical events that are still catastrophic like destroying our democracies, is that they're so bad that even if there was only a 1 percent chance it could happen, it's not acceptable."

One group of scientists has warned that governments should be 'prepared to bomb' AI data centers in the event of rogue technology, yet what Bengio suggests is that it should never be allowed to reach that point in the first place.

It appears as if it's all steam ahead, however, from the perspective of the companies driving AI development and governments across the world, with some even suggesting that they 'don't give a f***' about what happens to the world as a result of their actions.

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