An AI pioneer and former Google employee known as the ‘Godfather of AI’ has left his role in the Big Tech company in order to warn people about the dangers of artificial intelligence as the technology advances, The New York Times reported.
Geoffrey Hinton, 75, is known for his work in deep learning and neural networks at the University of Toronto. He has now left Google to warn the public about the risks of AI races between companies and the lack of stringent regulation.
The academic said he was most worried about AI-generated media such as images and texts fooling internet users who might not be able to differentiate between genuine and false media anymore. He was also concerned that the rise of AI technology could negatively impact the job market.
Dr. Hinton suggested that Google was responsible in its handling of AI technology, but criticised tech companies’ race to release AI offerings first.
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Taking a long-term view, he feared that AI technology and autonomous robots would enter battlefields, according to The New York Times.
In an interview in April, Google CEO Sundar Pichai had explained that he was worried about the need to deploy AI technology urgently, but also feared that it could be used to cause harm.
Dr. Hinton said he has spoken to Mr. Pichai after resigning, but did not reveal the details of their conversation.
