‘Godfather of AI’ warns: Instil AI with maternal instincts or risk extinction

702's Bongani Bingwa chats to international correspondent, Adam Gilchrist.

Listen to their conversation in the audio clip below:

Geoffrey Hinton, dubbed the "godfather of AI," has once again sounded the alarm on the existential risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI) ...and this time, he’s calling for a radical rethink. 

According to a CNN report, Hinton recently spoke at the AI4 conference in Las Vegas, warning that future AI systems may become so intelligent and manipulative, they’ll control humans like "bribing a toddler with candy". 

Hinton criticised current efforts to keep AI submissive, saying they’ll likely fail: "They’re going to be much smarter than us."

He offered a surprising alternative: instilling AI with "maternal instincts" to genuinely care about humans.

"The only model we have of a more intelligent thing being controlled by a less intelligent thing is a mother being controlled by her baby," he was quoted as saying. 

"Like we're children on a playground and AI is the teacher in the corner...it needs to look after us rather than think how do I take power from them and then wipe them out. Let's hope they begin to do that..."

- Adam Gilchrist

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