Geoffrey Hinton, the British computer scientist known as the Godfather of AI, has warned that artificial intelligence could lead to massive unemployment. He said tech giants are betting on AI to replace many workers.
“It seems very likely to a large number of people that we will get massive unemployment caused by AI,” Hinton told Senator Bernie Sanders at Georgetown University. “And if you ask where are these guys going to get the roughly trillion dollars they are investing in data centers and chips… one of the main sources of money is going to be by selling people AI that will do the work of workers much cheaper.”
Hinton criticized big tech for focusing on short-term profits rather than long-term scientific progress. He said AI will create some new jobs but not nearly as many as it will eliminate.
“Trying to predict the future of it is going to be very difficult,” he said. “It is a bit like when you drive in fog. You can see clearly for 100 yards and at 200 yards you can see nothing. We can see clearly for a year or two, but 10 years out, we have no idea what is going to happen.”
Senator Bernie Sanders said nearly 100 million U.S. jobs could be displaced by automation. Workers in fast food, customer service, manual labor, and even white-collar roles like accounting, software development, and nursing are at risk.
“It is not just economics,” Sanders wrote in an op-ed. “Work, whether being a janitor or a brain surgeon, is an integral part of being human. The vast majority of people want to be productive members of society and contribute to their communities. What happens when that vital aspect of human existence is removed from our lives?”
Senator Mark Warner also warned that AI disruption could hit young people hardest. He said unemployment among recent college graduates could reach 25 percent in the next two to three years if no safeguards are put in place.
