Geoffrey Hinton, a British-Canadian computer scientist hailed as a "godfather" of AI, has raised alarms about the potential existential threat AI poses to humanity. In a recent interview, Hinton warned that the risk of AI leading to human extinction within the next three decades is now between 10% and 20%. This is a significant increase from his earlier estimate of 10%. The pace of AI development, he noted, is accelerating much faster than anticipated, making it more difficult to predict its future implications.

Hinton, who received the Nobel prize in physics this year for his groundbreaking work in AI, cautioned that as AI systems become more intelligent than humans, we could be like toddlers compared to these advanced machines. Reflecting on the dangers, he said, "We've never had to deal with things more intelligent than ourselves before." 

Having resigned from Google to speak more openly about AI's risks, Hinton stressed that government regulation is essential to ensure safety in AI development. He argued that relying solely on corporate interests is insufficient and could lead to catastrophic outcomes if left unchecked.

While some AI experts, like Yann LeCun from Meta, downplay these fears, Hinton remains steadfast in his warning: the rapidly evolving technology may soon outpace humanity's control, and we need to act fast to prevent disaster.