AI Endgame: Nobel prize winner Geoffrey Hinton, “The Godfather of AI,” warns of AI Dangers
Newsletter #5
October 15, 2024
By Debbie Coffey, AI Endgame
Thanks for reading my newsletter. As I’m getting AI Endgame off the ground, I learned that I need to have an extra weekly newsletter ready to post as a backup, in case there’s a week when something comes up and I have less time to write. I’m feeling guilty that I missed posting a weekly newsletter last week because I had been busy working on a complicated Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit for a non-profit. I’ve also been writing an article that’s taking a lot longer than I thought it would take to finish.
So, life happens in spite of our best plans and intentions.
This newsletter ties into newsletter #3 (about Rogue AIs - AI that operates autonomously beyond its intended scope and deviates from its designed rules). Rogue AIs are unpredictable and behave in ways that were not anticipated by its creators or operators.
One AI creator, Geoffrey E. Hinton, a British-Canadian cognitive psychologist and computer scientist who’s known as the “Godfather of AI,” is warning us about the dangers of AI.
In 2023, Hinton told 60 Minutes “I can’t see a path that guarantees safety.”
“We’re entering a period of great uncertainty, where we’re dealing with things we’ve never dealt with before.”
I was pleased to find out that Hinton just won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics. (Hinton won this along with American scientist John Hopfield).
Hinton pioneered research on neural networks and deep learning that paved the way for current AI systems like ChatGPT.
In artificial intelligence, neural networks are systems that are similar to the human brain in the way they learn and process information. They enable AIs to learn from experience, as a person would. This is called deep learning. [1]
In 2023, Geoffrey Hinton announced his resignation from Google (where he had worked for a decade on the tech giant’s AI development efforts), so he could speak freely about the risks of AI. [2] Hinton said he now regrets his work.
In an interview with NPR, Hinton said “These things could get more intelligent than us and could decide to take over, and we need to worry now about how we prevent that happening.”
Geoffrey Hinton, the “Godfather of AI”
For those of you who are in deep despair, Hinton offers a possible solution for humans to remain in control. He believes that building analog computers instead of digital ones might keep AI technology safer, “Because every piece of analog hardware is slightly different…it won’t be able to absorb as much information as those digital models can.”
In other words, analog systems can’t easily merge all the intelligence, so humans could retain more control.
However, Hinton thinks big tech companies won’t willingly go along with this alternative because they’re extremely competitive and want the financial rewards for producing the most powerful bots. [3]
This is not the first time in history scientists have lamented over the impact of their discoveries. J. Robert Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein regretted the destruction that their atomic research caused. Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, was so distraught about his invention that he started a foundation to award the Nobel prize (that Hinton just won). [4]
While on tour for the film “Oppenheimer,” director Christopher Nolan raised awareness of the dangers of AI. People saw the parallels between Oppenheimer’s attempts to warn policymakers about nuclear proliferation and modern alarm over the possible consequences of AI, with many AI experts warning that AI poses a “risk of extinction” on par with nuclear weapons.
This time in history is being called our “Oppenheimer moment.” [5]
This may be our only chance to control AI technology for the survival of humanity.
Although there are increasing, credible and dire warnings about the dangers of AI, billionaires like Sam Altman (Open AI), Peter Theil [6] and Elon Musk continue to push AI, like pied pipers leading lawmakers off a cliff.
Elon Musk has thrown money at, and support to, the Trump campaign, and Peter Theil has bankrolled J.D. Vance’s rise to power. These tech giants don’t want AI regulations (so they can do whatever they want), and they want to control future AI developments (and what better way than to “own” politicians?).
I’m a big believer that one person can make a difference. Geoffrey Hinton is making a difference with his warnings. All of us working together worldwide on the AI issue can make a difference. You can make a difference. If we act now.
What you can do:
1) Call your representatives and tell them you “want regulations to pause AI now, until strong AI safety laws are enacted.”
Find out how to contact your Congressional representatives here:
https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
Find out how to contact your Senators here:
https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm?Class=1
2) Support (and if you can, make donations) to organizations fighting for AI Safety:
Pause AI
Center for Humane Technology
https://www.humanetech.com/who-we-are
The Center for AI Safety
Read past AI Endgame newsletters and share links with your friends:
#1 - AI Endgame: Introduction Read HERE.
#2 - AI Endgame: Risk of Human Extinction & AI regulations Read HERE.
#3 - AI Endgame: Rogue AIs Read HERE.
#4 - AI Endgame: Political Deepfakes Read HERE.
The next newsletter on AI Endgame will discuss the massive amounts of water and power that AI datacenters use.
I’ve been doing investigative journalism for 13 years and I hosted a BlogTalk radio show for 6 years.
In 2023, over 600 AI researchers, scientists and engineers warned that there is a great risk that AI could lead to human extinction. AI Endgame will provide you with information in an easy-to-understand format and alert you to actions you can take.
[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65452940
[2] https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/01/tech/geoffrey-hinton-leaves-google-ai-fears/index.html
[3] https://www.wired.com/story/plaintext-geoffrey-hinton-godfather-of-ai-future-ai/
[4] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/nobel-laureate-geoffrey-hinton-is-both-ai-pioneer-and-front-man-of-alarm/ar-AA1s2PJn
[5] https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/12/30/nolan-interview-ai-threats/
[6] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/billionaire-peter-thiel-lends-backing-153021534.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9kdWNrZHVja2dvLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMuc_VWYDGMc9Ia_19qALo-IGh2GRoggcTPlANMfffNpIe-hJPqg3vWZYmjFWgQ6-ixJ3XjoXL6gsUlUiFbwza7Es9IglhpMBRj25MXd9ys7jlNJyb-Ea-3ROt_ciUSlvo3-6nAfkcrfAl5-Cq9j6hUdFUGoNbYIuRhnd_Y_wvKk