Geoffrey Hinton, the legendary computer scientist and artificial intelligence (AI) pioneer, has announced his departure from Google, where he has been working part-time for the last decade. Hinton's groundbreaking work on neural networks has been a driving force behind the development of AI systems, and his departure has raised concerns about the future of the technology.
Hinton, who is 75, stated that he left Google so he could speak freely about the risks of AI, rather than because of a desire to criticise Google specifically. “I left so that I could talk about the dangers of AI without considering how this impacts Google,” Hinton said in his tweet.
Geoffrey Hinton also issued a warning about the dangers of developments in the field. He has voiced concerns about the potential for deliberate misuse of AI technology by malicious actors, technological unemployment, and existential risk from artificial general intelligence.
Hinton, who is often referred to as the "Godfather of AI," has been a leading figure in the deep learning community for many years. His seminal 1986 paper on backpropagation and several other foundational deep learning techniques have shaped the field of AI.
Hinton has been a pioneer in deep learning and neural networks, which underpin modern AI systems like ChatGPT. Speaking to the BBC, he cautioned that AI chatbots could soon become more intelligent than humans. He also noted the fundamental difference between biological and digital systems, which he said created a new kind of intelligence that was distinct from human intelligence. Hinton stressed that he did not want to criticise Google, but had resigned in part due to his age.
In addition to his work at Google, Hinton was also a professor at the University of Toronto and a fellow of the Royal Society. In 2017, he co-founded and became the chief scientific advisor of the Vector Institute in Toronto, a research organization focused on AI and machine learning.
Hinton, who was awarded the Turing Award in 2018 for their work on deep learning, has been a vocal advocate for responsible AI development. His departure from Google is a sign that even those who helped create the technology are concerned about its potential risks.
As AI continues to advance and become more integrated into society, it is crucial that researchers and developers like Hinton continue to speak out about the technology's potential dangers. While AI has the potential to revolutionize many industries and improve our lives in countless ways, it is important to approach its development with caution and foresight.
