TORONTO — Artificial intelligence pioneer Geoffrey Hinton has spent some time speaking publicly about the existential threat posed by the technology, but he says he believes the surveillance risks it poses are even more urgent.
Hinton said his concerns are based on predictions that AI could become so good at surveillance that it could help authoritarian regimes gain or maintain power.
He says there are few defenses against such regimes, and he has seen cases where even the Supreme Court has been unable to stand up to their power.
But Hinton's concerns about AI go beyond surveillance and existential risks: He also predicts that AI will drive the rise of lethal autonomous weapons in the near future, and lists fake videos, election fraud, and cybercrime as other potential risks.
Rounding out his list of concerns are unemployment, which threatens to widen the gap between rich and poor, and soaring cybercrime.
Hinton made the comments at the Collision technology conference in Toronto, where he also spoke last year, sounding the alarm about the unintended consequences of AI.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2024.
Canadian Press
