Latest news with #GeoffreyHinton
Calgary Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
‘Godfather of AI' warns Canadian companies are adopting the technology too slowly
Article content Canada risks losing its early advantage in artificial intelligence because businesses are adopting the technology too slowly, according to Geoffrey Hinton, a Canadian scientist commonly known as the 'godfather of AI' for his seminal work on artificial neural networks. Article content '(Canada) has got one big disadvantage, which is that … most Canadian industry is very conservative,' Hinton said Wednesday at an event during Toronto Tech Week. 'They've been bad at taking up AI and educating employees. That's a big problem.' Article content Article content Prime Minister Mark Carney and Evan Solomon, his recently-appointed minister of AI and digital innovation, have pledged to continue the previous Liberal government's $2-billion package to build data centres and Canada's AI computing power. Ottawa has also promised policies to help businesses adopt AI and to implement the technology on Parliament Hill to make federal government more efficient. Article content Article content Earlier this week, Solomon said the government is working on an updated, light touch AI regulatory framework, and vowed that Ottawa will champion homegrown AI companies. Article content Article content Hinton, a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in physics. At Wednesday's event, which was co-presented by the university, he also reaffirmed his view that AI is developing much faster than anticipated and that intelligent AI poses an existential threat to humanity. Article content 'The existential risk (is when) these things take over.… In maybe five years time, AI will be inventing its own cyberattacks,' he said, noting that shorter term risks included rogue actors using the technology to corrupt elections, advance fascism and monitor mass populations. Article content Hinton argued that the 'only counter-pressure' to Big Tech firms lobbying governments for watered-down AI regulations is going to come from the public. 'The public … need to understand that this stuff is dangerous and it needs to be regulated.'
CTV News
3 days ago
- Science
- CTV News
AI systems may make mistakes now but are quickly getting smarter: Hinton
AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton is seen backstage before speaking at the Collision Conference, in Toronto, on Wednesday, June 19, CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young TORONTO — If mistakes artificial intelligence make have you doubting it can't ever rival humans, one of the technology's pioneers says think again. Geoffrey Hinton said Wednesday that AI keeps getting better at reasoning and has surpassed the skill level many experts expected it to be at by 2025. Yet every time the technology messes up, he said people have an itch to conclude that AI didn't understand what was being asked of it. 'There's recent research showing that you give it something easy, it probably gets it right. You give it a slightly more difficult problem, it takes longer and it still gets it right,' said the recent Nobel Prize winner. 'But if you give it a more difficult problem… and it gets it completely wrong, people use that to say, 'well it couldn't really reason at all.' The way he sees it is that AI can solve simple, immediate problems, but stumbles on anything more complicated like humans do. While improving the technology so it is not tripped up by anything complicated will be a challenge, he said it's more of a stumbling block than a hurdle that can't be overcome. And when it is overcome, he said humans have plenty to be worried about. 'We're all going to have very smart AI assistants and…. we're not going to need ordinary assistance,' he said. 'But there's also the question of whether these things, when they get smarter than us, are going to need us.' When AI becomes smarter than us, he said it would manifest as the technology coming up with schemes and doing things 'you would have never thought of them.' 'If you had an argument with them about anything, they would win the argument,' he said. While winning arguments may seem trivial, Hinton has several concerns about the technology's potential that go well beyond arguments. On top of an existential risk to humanity, he worries the technology could cause unemployment, bias and discrimination, echo chambers, fake news and autonomous lethal and biological weapons. Countering these issues will take immense public pressure to create regulations with teeth that will rein in tech companies, which he said will fight any guardrails. He likens the situation to climate change. 'Obviously, the big oil companies didn't believe in regulations, and the public needed to be convinced there was climate change, so they would apply pressure on the politicians from the other side saying do something about it,' he said. 'I think this is the same situation.' His remarks were made in a Toronto Tech Week panel with Nick Frosst, one of Hinton's proteges and a co-founder of buzzy AI firm Cohere. Their discussion was at the University of Toronto, where Hinton is a professor emeritus and Frosst was his student. They've remained close despite having diverging views on AI. For example, Hinton thinks AI poses an existential threat and Frosst isn't convinced it does. While they both agree the technology will upend the job market, they disagree about how. Frosst said the large language models (LLMs) that underpin AI systems will automate 20 to 30 per cent of everyone's jobs done while sitting in front of a computer. 'The danger is when they do 80 per cent,' Hinton said. 'I think that's where we disagree,' Frosst replied. 'I think there's a limit and I think there's lots of work that we do now as people in our jobs and at our homes and in our personal lives that an LLM will not be able to do.' Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press
Toronto Sun
3 days ago
- Science
- Toronto Sun
AI systems may make mistakes, but are quickly getting smarter: Hinton
Nobel Prize winner's remarks were made during Toronto Tech Week panel at University of Toronto Published Jun 25, 2025 • 3 minute read Nobel Prize winner Geoffrey Hinton said AI keeps getting better at reasoning and has surpassed the skill level many experts expected it to be at by 2025. Photo by iStock / GETTY IMAGES If the mistakes artificial intelligence makes have you doubting it can't rival humans, one of the technology's pioneers says to think again. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Geoffrey Hinton said Wednesday that AI keeps getting better at reasoning and has surpassed the skill level many experts expected it to be at by 2025. Yet every time the technology messes up, he said people have an itch to conclude that AI didn't understand what was being asked of it. 'There's recent research showing that you give it something easy, it probably gets it right. You give it a slightly more difficult problem, it takes longer and it still gets it right,' said the recent Nobel Prize winner. 'But if you give it a more difficult problem … and it gets it completely wrong, people use that to say, 'Well, it couldn't really reason at all.' The way he sees it is that AI can solve simple, immediate problems, but stumbles on anything more complicated like humans do. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Read More While improving the technology so it is not tripped up by anything complicated will be a challenge, he said it's more of a stumbling block than a hurdle that can't be overcome. And when it is overcome, he said humans have plenty to be worried about. 'We're all going to have very smart AI assistants and … we're not going to need ordinary assistance,' he said. 'But there's also the question of whether these things, when they get smarter than us, are going to need us.' When AI becomes smarter than us, he said it would manifest as the technology coming up with schemes and doing things 'you would have never thought of them. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'If you had an argument with them about anything, they would win the argument,' he said. While winning arguments may seem trivial, Hinton has several concerns about the technology's potential that go well beyond arguments. On top of an existential risk to humanity, he worries the technology could cause unemployment, bias and discrimination, echo chambers, fake news and autonomous lethal and biological weapons. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Countering these issues will take immense public pressure to create regulations with teeth that will rein in tech companies, which he said will fight any guardrails. He likens the situation to climate change. 'Obviously, the big oil companies didn't believe in regulations, and the public needed to be convinced there was climate change, so they would apply pressure on the politicians from the other side saying do something about it,' he said. 'I think this is the same situation.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. His remarks were made in a Toronto Tech Week panel with Nick Frosst, one of Hinton's proteges and a co-founder of buzzy AI firm Cohere. Their discussion was at the University of Toronto, where Hinton is a professor emeritus and Frosst was his student. They've remained close despite having diverging views on AI. For example, Hinton thinks AI poses an existential threat and Frosst isn't convinced it does. While they both agree the technology will upend the job market, they disagree about how. Frosst said the large language models (LLMs) that underpin AI systems will automate 20-30% of everyone's jobs done while sitting in front of a computer. 'The danger is when they do 80%,' Hinton said. 'I think that's where we disagree,' Frosst replied. 'I think there's a limit and I think there's lots of work that we do now as people in our jobs and at our homes and in our personal lives that an LLM will not be able to do.' Toronto & GTA Canada Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Music
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Business
- Toronto Star
AI systems may make mistakes now but are quickly getting smarter: Hinton
AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton is seen backstage before speaking at the Collision Conference, in Toronto, on Wednesday, June 19, CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young CHY/ flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
AI systems may make mistakes now but are quickly getting smarter: Hinton
TORONTO - If mistakes artificial intelligence make have you doubting it can't ever rival humans, one of the technology's pioneers says you should think again. Geoffrey Hinton says AI keeps getting better at reasoning and has surpassed the skill level many experts expected it to be at by 2025. Yet every time the technology messes up, he says people have an itch to conclude that AI didn't understand what was being asked of it. The way he sees it is that AI can solve simple, immediate problems, but stumbles on anything more complicated like humans do. While improving the technology so it is not tripped up by anything complicated will be a challenge, he says it's more of a stumbling block than a hurdle that can't be overcome. Hinton's remarks were made at the University of Toronto, where he was speaking at one of the 300 events that make up the inaugural Toronto Tech Week. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2025.
