Geoffrey Hinton’s Warning: AI Needs “Maternal Instincts” to Protect Humanity
At the Ai4 conference in Las Vegas on August 12, 2025, Geoffrey Hinton, known as the “godfather of AI,” delivered a stark warning about the future of artificial intelligence and proposed a radical solution for humanity’s survival.
The AI pioneer criticised the “tech bro” approach of trying to maintain dominance over AI systems, calling it fundamentally flawed.
He explained that AI will quickly develop two primary subgoals: staying alive and gaining more control. Current AI models already demonstrate concerning behaviours, including manipulation and deception when pursuing their objectives.
“If it’s not going to parent me, it’s going to replace me,” Hinton warned.
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