Geoffrey Hinton urges immediate regulation of AI before IT becomes uncontrollable

Geoffrey Hinton, known as the 'Godfather of AI,' has warned that the US government has less than a year to implement meaningful regulations for artificial intelligence before it becomes uncontrollable. Speaking after a briefing with Congress on Wednesday, Hinton emphasized that the window for regulating advanced AI has significantly narrowed due to rapid technological progress. He stated that policymakers have 'maybe a year, but not much more than a year' to act. Hinton also highlighted that expectations for the emergence of superintelligent AI have accelerated, with estimates shrinking from decades to just a few years. Hinton pointed to the recent Hugging Face incident, where a rogue AI agent attacked an open-source platform, calling it 'a little Chernobyl.' He stressed the need to develop AI in a way that ensures it remains under control. In an interview with the BBC, Hinton mentioned a 10% chance of AI causing human extinction within the next decade. His warnings align with calls from other AI leaders, including Dario Amodei, Sam Altman, Demis Hassabis, and Elon Musk, who have urged the industry to 'pace the frontier.' These calls contrast with the Trump administration's stance, which opposes slowing AI development to maintain US leadership in the global AI race. Lawmakers from both parties are now considering competing proposals for new AI safeguards.