AI Pioneer Geoffrey Hinton Backs Calls to Slow Down AI Development

Geoffrey Hinton, a pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence, has expressed support for calls to slow down the development of AI technology. His comments come after the chief executive of Anthropic, Dario Amodei, warned that rogue AI agents could potentially 'take over the entire internet' within six to 12 months.

Professor Hinton, known as the 'godfather of AI', told Radio National Breakfast that Mr Amodei's warning was 'very sensible'. 'Nobody knows how to estimate the probabilities of these things. [An Anthropic employee] said 10 per cent. Nobody really knows what figure to give,' he said.

'It's not 1 per cent, it's more than that, and it's not 99 per cent, it's less than that. But basically people are doing it on their gut feelings,' Professor Hinton added.

AI superintelligence smarter than humans

Recently, two researchers cautioned that rapidly advancing AI technology could lead to human extinction in the near future. Professor Hinton noted that most experts believe superintelligent AI will emerge within a decade, but it is unclear whether it can be controlled.

'Until we've solved that problem, it would be foolish to develop them,' he said.

Some critics argue that tech executives have exaggerated AI risks to boost their companies' profiles. However, Professor Hinton disagreed, stating that warnings about catastrophic consequences are bad for business.

'It's very silly marketing for the companies to say we might wipe you all out,' he said. 'If there's a pause in AI, that may decrease the value of [Anthropic].'

Global regulation and AI risks

Professor Hinton, who left Google in May 2023 to speak freely about AI risks, also commented on the slow pace of government regulation. 'Politicians act very slowly. It's going to be difficult to keep up. We've only got a few years,' he said.

When asked about potential harm from superintelligent AI, Professor Hinton listed several possibilities, including engineered viruses, mass manipulation, and nuclear weapons. However, he emphasized that cataloging these risks misses the point.

'The point is, we have to figure out how it never wants to,' Professor Hinton said.

He suggested that governments could require pre-release testing for chatbot models and oblige DNA synthesis firms to screen their products.

While advising a slowdown, Professor Hinton acknowledged that AI is currently 'doing tremendous good' in areas like medical imaging and drug design. 'I don't think we should stop developing it altogether,' he said.

Global reactions to AI development

Other AI leaders, including OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and billionaire xAI owner Elon Musk, have endorsed Mr Amodei's proposal to slow down AI development.

In contrast, US President Donald Trump has rejected calls for a slowdown, stating that he wants to maintain America's edge in AI over China.

Mr Amodei has noted that the competition between US and Chinese AI companies presents a significant challenge in establishing a 'speed limit' on AI development.