Biased Warnings: Examining the Risks of Unverified AI Speculation
The motivation for this blog stems from a recent article about Geoffrey Hinton, a recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics and a renowned figure in artificial intelligence, who once again issued an alarmist warning about AI. According to reports from foreign media outlets, including the British daily The Guardian on December 27, 2024, Hinton appeared on BBC Radio, stating, "There is a possibility that humanity will go extinct within 30 years." He estimated a 10–20% chance that AI could destroy humanity within the next three decades and predicted that powerful AI, surpassing human capabilities, could emerge within 20 years and potentially gain control over humanity. A similar pattern was observed with the late Stephen Hawking, a celebrated physicist known for his work on black holes and the Big Bang theory, who also issued extreme warnings about AI without providing sufficient evidence. While Hinton’s groundbreaking academic contributions to AI are undisputed, his consistently...