'Godfather of AI' who warned AI could destroy humanity wins Nobel Prize in physics
For their contributions to the development of machine learning, the Nobel Prize in physics was awarded on Monday to scientists John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton.
While Hopfield is a less public figure, Hinton has made headlines for his warnings that advanced AI may lead to human extinction.
“The pioneering methods and concepts developed by Hopfield and Hinton have been instrumental in shaping the field of ANNs (artificial neural networks),” the Nobel Committee for Physics said in a statement.
Artificial neural networks are “inspired by biological neurons in the brain,” consisting of “large collections of ‘neurons’, or nodes, connected by ‘synapses’, or weighted couplings, which are trained to perform certain tasks rather than asked to execute a predetermined set of instructions,” the statement continued.
The Nobel Committee underscored the significant scientific advancement that ANNs represent.
“With their breakthroughs, that stand on the foundations of physical science, they have showed a completely new way for us to use computers to aid and to guide us to tackle many of the challenges our society face [sic].”
The statement highlighted that “machine learning based on artificial neural networks is currently revolutionizing science, engineering and daily life,” adding that “the field is already on its way to enable breakthroughs toward building a sustainable society.”
While the Nobel Committee for Physics focused on the positive aspects of AI, one of the men who received the awards, in recent years, has warned of the “existential threat” the technology may pose.
Hinton, a former Google employee who has been called the “godfather of AI,” has admitted he is “scared” about the future of the technology he helped create.
“It’s a completely different form of intelligence,” he warned. “A new and better form of intelligence.”
In a lecture given at Oxford University earlier this year, Hinton said he thought that advanced AI could very well lead to humanity’s extinction.
“The threat I’m really worried about…is the long-term existential threat – that is, the threat that these things could wipe out humanity,” he said.
He has also warned that artificial general intelligence (AGI) could emerge within “5 to 20 years.”
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
