‘Godfather of AI’ says he’s ‘glad’ to be 77 because the tech probably won’t take over the world in his lifetime

A scientist whose work helped transform the field of artificial intelligence says he’s “kind of glad” to be 77 — because he may not live long enough to witness the technology’s potentially dangerous consequences.

Geoffrey Hinton, often referred to as the “godfather of AI,” warned in a CBS News interview that aired Saturday that AI is advancing faster than experts once predicted — and that once it surpasses human intelligence, humanity may not be able to prevent it from taking control.

“Things more intelligent than you are going to be able to manipulate you,” said Hinton, who was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in physics for his breakthroughs in machine learning.

He compared humans advancing AI to raising a tiger. “It’s just such a cute tiger cub,” he said. “Now, unless you can be very sure that it’s not gonna wanna kill you when it’s grown up, you should worry.”

Hinton estimated a “sort of 10 to 20% chance” that AI systems could eventually seize control, though he stressed that it’s impossible to predict exactly.

One reason for his concern is the rise of AI agents, which don’t just answer questions but can perform tasks autonomously. “Things have got, if anything, scarier than they were before,” Hinton said.

The timeline for superintelligent AI may also be shorter than expected, Hinton said. A year ago, he believed it would be five to 20 years before the arrival of AI that can surpass human intelligence in every domain. Now, he says “there’s a good chance it’ll be here in 10 years or less.”

Hinton also warned that global competition between tech companies and nations makes it “very, very unlikely” that humanity will avoid building superintelligence. “They’re all after the next shiny thing,” he said. “The issue is whether we can design it in such a way that it never wants to take control.”

Hinton also expressed disappointment with tech companies he once admired. He said he was “very disappointed” that Google — where he worked for more than a decade — reversed its stance against military applications of AI. “I wouldn’t be happy working for any of them today,” he added.

Hinton resigned from Google in 2023. He said he left so he could speak freely about the dangers of AI development. He is now a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto.

Hinton did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.