AI Godfather" Hinton Advises UK Government on UBI as a Shield Against AI Job Threats
Summary:
Geoffrey Hinton, a renowned AI expert, suggests the UK government adopt a universal basic income (UBI) to mitigate the potential job loss from AI advancement. Sam Altman, OpenAI co-founder, also supports UBI and provides it through his cryptocurrency venture, Worldcoin. Both experts express concern about AI posing a significant existential risk to humanity, stressing the need for carefully managed AI development.
Prominent AI expert and industry figure, Geoffrey Hinton, often dubbed the "AI Godfather," has recently given advice to UK government representatives. He suggested at a Downing Street consultation that the introduction of a universal basic income (UBI) could be a viable response to potential job losses caused by AI technology. Until recently, Hinton was instrumental in creating advanced AI functionalities for neural networks at Google. This technology is fundamental to modern AI systems like Google's Gemini and OpenAI's ChatGPT.
Hinton predicts that wealthier sectors will benefit considerably from the AI revolution, but individuals in manual labour roles or those with jobs susceptible to automation may face risk to their employment. He expressed these concerns in a recent interview with BBC, implying the societal ramifications could be significant.
He recounts his advice to government officials saying, "During my consultation with representatives at Downing Street, I suggested that a universal basic income could be a beneficial strategy."
Notably, Hinton isn't the only influential figure in the AI sector advocating for UBI as a countermeasure for the impacts of automation on employment. Considered one of tech industry's prominent CEOs, Sam Altman, OpenAI co-founder and former student of Hinton, also supports UBI.
Altman’s separate enterprise, Worldcoin, aims to implement UBI through a no-charge cryptocurrency token. To ensure transparency, this service requires users to verify their identity via a retinal scan during sign-up.
Both Hinton and Altman strongly believe that AI potentially poses a significant risk to human beings. Hinton's departure from his Google position was largely to voice his concerns about AI's potential future impacts more openly. Altman stresses that his motivation for co-founding OpenAI alongside Elon Musk and others was to ensure AI advancements are developed responsibly, maintaining human welfare at the forefront.
In his BBC interview, Hinton warns that the threat of AI overpowering humans may well be imminent, estimating that we likely have between five to twenty years to tackle this issue before it becomes critical.
Related: Some AI safety researchers have left OpenAI due to priorities misalignment.
Published At
5/18/2024 7:30:00 PM
Disclaimer: Algoine does not endorse any content or product on this page. Readers should conduct their own research before taking any actions related to the asset, company, or any information in this article and assume full responsibility for their decisions. This article should not be considered as investment advice. Our news is prepared with AI support.
Do you suspect this content may be misleading, incomplete, or inappropriate in any way, requiring modification or removal?
We appreciate your report.