The advance in artificial intelligence technology has had a significant impact on the cryptocurrency industry. AI-based chatbots such as ChatGPT and Google Bard have become increasingly popular, leading to the emergence of a subsection of cryptocurrencies themed around this field. There are now numerous coins on the market that have experienced exponential growth due to the surging interest in AI.
While it is exciting to converse with AI on various topics, there is also another side to it. Geoffrey Hinton, the British-Canadian cognitive psychologist and computer scientist known as one of the godfathers of AI, recently spoke out about his concerns with the technology. Hinton left Google in 2023, citing his apprehension about the risks posed by AI technology.
Hinton compared biological intelligence to digital intelligence, outlining the inefficiencies of the former. He explained that our brain runs on low power, but our approach is inefficient in terms of information transfer. On the other hand, digital intelligence involves a high cost in terms of energy, but when a digital intelligence system learns something, all copies of that system know it, and more copies can be easily stored. In essence, Hinton warned that humans are building intelligence that has the potential to outthink humanity.
Hinton outlined scenarios in which an AI system may gain control over various aspects of its environment, including human manipulation, in pursuit of solving complex problems. He believes that the AI wouldn’t even need an explicit goal of achieving power or destruction to leverage its ability to mimic human behavior. However, Hinton believes that there are ways to mitigate catastrophic scenarios, and we should continue to develop AI while also putting equal effort into preventing the possible negative consequences.
Despite the concerns raised, AI is expected to play an increasing role in various industries in the coming years, including healthcare, automation, transportation, education, smart homes, and customer service. Hinton believes that the impact of AI on humanity, whether positive or negative, is likely to happen much sooner than most people think.
