SaMedia, Dec 7—Physics Nobel Prize winner Geoffrey Hinton and chemistry laureate Demis Hassabis have urged for strong regulation of artificial intelligence (AI). Both highlighted the crucial role AI played in their award-winning work, AFP reported.
Hinton, who resigned from Google last year, has been vocal about AI’s existential risks. “AI is a very important technology to regulate,” Hassabis stated at a press conference in Stockholm. He stressed the challenge is crafting appropriate regulations for such a rapidly evolving technology.
Hassabis, who shared the chemistry Nobel with David Baker and John Jumper for using AI to unlock protein secrets, emphasized the need for clear usage goals. “We must ensure all of humanity benefits from these systems,” he said.
Hinton, often called the “Godfather of AI,” expressed regret for not considering safety earlier. He warned about AI’s potential to escalate arms races. Awarded the Nobel alongside John Hopfield for work on neural networks, Hinton criticized governments for not regulating lethal autonomous weapons, highlighting ongoing arms races among major suppliers like the U.S., China, and Russia.
Hassabis recommended “fast and nimble” regulations and advised building on existing frameworks in healthcare and transport. He revealed discussions with Elon Musk about the existential threats posed by AI misuse, noting Musk’s concerns about AI potentially overpowering human control.
Confident in Musk’s commitment, Hassabis suggested that these concerns will be communicated to the U.S. administration upon Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January.
Both laureates stress the urgency of these measures to ensure AI advances benefit all while mitigating potential risks.
