Top scientist quits Google, issues AI warning: ‘Bad actors’ could use it ‘for bad things’

Geoffrey Hinton, a leading pioneer of artificial intelligence, has resigned from his role at Google after more than a decade, The New York Times reported.

Hinton said he left in part because he wanted to warn about the dangers of AI. He has joined a growing list of critics who fear AI could create unintended consequences, like using it to create disinformation or as a replacement for human jobs.

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“It is hard to see how you can prevent the bad actors from using it for bad things,” Hinton told the Times.

In 2012, Hinton and two graduate students at the University of Toronto built tools that helped lead to the creation of AI systems, something he said he partly regrets.

“I console myself with the normal excuse: If I hadn’t done it, somebody else would have,” Hinton said. 

Hinton was a vice president and an engineering fellow at Google where he designed machine-learning algorithms. 

In a statement to The Hill, Jeff Dean, Google’s chief scientist, said: “Geoff has made foundational breakthroughs in AI, and we appreciate his decade of contributions at Google.”

“As one of the first companies to publish AI Principles, we remain committed to a responsible approach to AI,” he added. “We’re continually learning to understand emerging risks while also innovating boldly.”

More than 1,000 technology researchers have signed an open letter asking for a six-month pause on the expansion of AI, citing “profound risks to society and humanity,” the Times reported.

Hinton told the news outlet he did not sign the letter because he didn’t want to publicly condemn his employer before he resigned.

AI has also faced criticism from the Biden administration, which announced last week it would crack down on automated systems that can cause harmful business practices, including unlawful bias and discrimination. 

Several federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice, pledged in a joint statement they will uphold “core principles of fairness, equality, and justice as emerging automated systems … become increasingly common in our daily lives — impacting civil rights, fair competition, consumer protection, and equal opportunity.”

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The agencies added that although AI can be beneficial in terms of providing insights, breakthroughs, efficiency and lower costs, it also has “the potential to perpetuate unlawful bias, automate unlawful discrimination, and produce other harmful outcomes.”