According to Fortune magazine, the “godfather of artificial intelligence” once again issued warnings about possible looming economic chaos in a discussion with Senator Bernie Sanders.
What happened?
If Geoffrey Hinton wasn’t constantly in public talking about artificial intelligence, he would sound like the scientists in disaster movies—who desperately try to warn the public but are ignored—and look like a real person.
Hinton was honored as the “godfather of artificial intelligence” for his pioneering work in the field, but he left Google in 2023 to freely discuss his concerns about the rapid escalation of artificial intelligence. The very fact that one of the pioneers of artificial intelligence is focusing on it full-time is concerning.
Hinton sat down with Sanders, a congressman with a strong focus on workers’ rights, for an ominous speech titled “Artificial Intelligence: The Promise and Perils.” Hinton has been relentless in sounding the alarm about threats related to (but not caused by) artificial intelligence: mass unemployment and poverty.
Hinton has previously stressed that while artificial intelligence will not inherently put people out of work, unscrupulous companies might.
As ABC News recently explored, an ongoing question about Silicon Valley’s full-scale push for artificial intelligence is how profitable the technology will be. Hinton sees a path to returns on the “roughly trillions” of dollars technology companies have invested in data centers and equipment.
“One of the main sources [profit] There will be artificial intelligence sold to people so that workers’ jobs can be done more cheaply, so these people are really betting that artificial intelligence will replace a lot of workers. “
Why is this concerning?
Although tech companies are investing heavily in the “AI arms race” in 2025, as the year draws to a close, concerns about an “AI bubble” are emerging, with even Google CEO Sundar Pichai admitting that the enthusiasm is irrational and carries financial risks.
The economic climate of 2025 is difficult for a number of reasons, not the least of which is a dislocated job market haunted by layoffs and the specter of job elimination by artificial intelligence.
Meanwhile, a painful cost-of-living crisis persists, exacerbated by soaring electricity bills. The culprit? Artificial Intelligence Data Center.
In addition to potentially causing job losses and driving up energy costs, the growing number of data centers is wreaking havoc on the environment across the country. Artificial intelligence consumes large amounts of water and electricity, straining public resources.
Additionally, major AI-invested tech companies like Amazon and OpenAI won’t reveal specifics about their environmental impact, and that silence speaks volumes.
Communities near data centers suffer from excessive air pollution and related health effects, and on November 30, The Verge reported on early but concerning reports of an increase in miscarriages and rare cancers near Amazon data centers.
What measures are being taken?
As Hinton has repeatedly emphasized, the potential for AI to cause harm is matched by the supposed benefits it can bring if used responsibly.
Fortune quoted Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., as warning other lawmakers to learn from the past and calling for oversight.
“Let’s look at the fact that we didn’t do anything [about] social media. If we react the same way to AI and don’t put guardrails in place, I think we’ll regret that day,” Warner said.
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