Geoffrey Hinton, the ‘Godfather of AI’, has recently announced his departure from Google after more than a decade with the company. In an interview with The Guardian, he warned of the potential dangers posed by machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI).
Hinton is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in AI research and development. He was instrumental in developing deep learning algorithms which are now used to power many applications such as facial recognition software and self-driving cars. His work at Google saw him lead teams that developed groundbreaking technologies such as AlphaGo Zero – a computer program capable of beating human players at Go without any prior knowledge or training data.
However, despite his success in this field, Hinton believes there are still significant risks associated with machine learning technology. He argues that while it can be used for good purposes such as improving healthcare outcomes or helping to reduce poverty levels, it could also be abused by governments or corporations for nefarious ends. For example, he warns that facial recognition systems could be used to track people’s movements without their consent or even manipulate public opinion through targeted advertising campaigns based on personal data collected from users online activities.
In addition to these ethical concerns about machine learning technology, Hinton also expressed doubts about its practicality in certain areas due to its complexity and costliness: “It’s very hard to get machines working reliably enough so you can trust them when lives are at stake,” he said during the interview.
Despite leaving Google after over a decade with the company, Hinton remains optimistic about what lies ahead for AI research: “I think we’re going into an exciting period where lots of things will happen quickly,” he concluded before signing off from The Guardian interview session.
|Godfather of AI’ Geoffrey Hinton quits Google and warns over dangers of machine learning|Technology|The Guardian