Geoffrey Hinton, a Turing Award winner in 2018 and Nobel Prize in Physics laureate in 2024, claims that current AI models possess consciousness. He argues that AI exhibits subjective experiences comparable to humans, citing instances where models alter their behavior when they realize they are being tested.
Hinton, who previously left Google, warns that AI poses immediate threats, including the creation of dangerous viruses and the execution of large-scale cyberattacks. He suggests that humanity has approximately two years to adapt to these developments, comparing the creation of AI to the emergence of alien life.
The researcher has frequently warned about catastrophic outcomes, including mass unemployment and potential human extinction. His stance contrasts with other experts, such as fellow Turing Award winner Yann LeCun, who dismisses the notion of AI consciousness as an illusion and rejects predictions of human extinction.
