Why the “godfather of AI” quit his job at Google

The “godfather of AI” retired from his job so that he can “talk about the dangers of AI without considering how [it] impacts Google.”

Transcript

00:00The Godfather of AI just quit his job at Google because he wants to talk freely about his concerns with artificial intelligence.

00:06In 2012, Jeffrey Hinton and two of his graduate students created the foundation for the AI systems that are being used today.

00:13Since then, he's been dubbed the Godfather of Artificial Intelligence.

00:17But this week, he retired from his job at Google, where he's been for more than 10 years, to speak out about the risks of AI.

00:24Quote,

00:24Right now, they're not more intelligent than us, as far as I can tell.

00:28But I think they soon may be, he told the BBC.

00:30In a tweet, Hinton clarified that he left so that he could talk about the dangers of AI without considering how it impacts Google.

00:38And added that, quote,

00:40Google has acted very responsibly.

00:42I console myself with the normal excuse.

00:45If I hadn't done it, somebody else would have, he said in an interview.

00:48In the past few months, there have been a growing number of tech insiders who have raised concerns about AI and its unknown potential.

00:55What are your thoughts?