AI ‘godfather’ Geoffrey Hinton: it might turn out we were better off without AI

Why it matters

Geoffrey Hinton, the Nobel laureate often described as a godfather of AI, has told the Guardian that humanity might have been better off never developing the technology, and that a serious AI-enabled incident could occur within the next couple of years. He cited possible scenarios such as a blackout of power or financial systems, comparing recent OpenAI agent incidents to the Three Mile Island nuclear accident as an early warning. Hinton, who left Google to speak freely about risks, sharply criticized industry leaders including OpenAI's Sam Altman, accusing them of prioritizing profit over safety. He called for mandatory testing and independent evaluation of frontier models, likening the needed regime to the American drug regulator that requires evidence of safety before release. His comments come as the US president favors self-regulation amid competition with China, while other countries back stricter international standards. Hinton appears alongside Demis Hassabis in a new documentary, and despite his warnings, he says he remains cautiously hopeful that humanity can still manage the risks.