Technology could be a more urgent risk than climate change

• Jeffrey Hinton says artificial intelligence could pose a more immediate danger to the world than climate change.
• The “godfather of AI” recently left Google to speak out about the threats posed by the technology.
• Google employees have previously expressed concerns about the company’s chatbot Bard.

The “Godfather of AI”, who recently left Google to raise awareness about the dangers of artificial intelligence, said the threat technology poses to the world could be more urgent than climate change.

In an interview with Reuters, Geoffrey Hinton continued to warn AI after leaving Google last week. Hinton announced his resignation in an interview with The New York Times published Monday.

“I don’t want to devalue climate change. I don’t want to say, ‘Don’t worry about climate change.’ That’s also a big risk,” Hinton told Reuters. “But I think this could eventually become more urgent.

“When it comes to climate change, it’s very easy to recommend what to do. Just stop burning carbon. not.”

Hinton’s comments this week come as tech giants engage in an arms race over the AI ​​capabilities that sparked ChatGPT’s success.

Hinton’s former employer launched its own chatbot named Bard in March. This has been criticized by his Google employee, who warned that the technology could be dangerous, as reported by Bloomberg.

but in a tweet After an interview with The Times, Hinton said he resigned so he could speak openly about AI without affecting Google, which he said had acted “very responsibly.”

But Hinton worries that AI will spread misinformation and kill jobs. A Goldman Sachs study found that AI could affect up to 300 million full-time jobs.

In an interview with The Times, Hinton wondered if it was too late to do the necessary checks on AI’s rapid momentum.

“I console myself with the usual excuses. It’s hard to understand,” Hinton told The Times.

Google did not immediately respond to an Insider’s request for comment.