Regulations needed to stop AI being used for ‘bad things’ – Geoffrey Hinton

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy British-Canadian computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton said we need to be “very careful” and “very thoughtful” about the development of artificial intelligence which he says is a “potentially very dangerous technology”. We need regulations to stop people using it for bad things, and we don't appear to have those kinds of political systems in place at present Prof Hinton Last year he made headlines after resigning from his job at Google, citing concerns “bad actors” would use the technology to harm others. “And that’s a very scary thought.” He added: “I like to think of it as, imagine yourself and a three-year-old – we’ll be the three-year-olds, and they’ll be the grown-ups.” Prof Hinton said he thinks the impact AI could have on the world will be similar to the industrial revolution. “We need regulations to stop people using it for bad things, and we don’t appear to have those kinds of political systems in place at present.” Prof Hinton said he fears AI will be bad for society if lots of people lost their jobs and all the benefit goes to rich people.