AI's Other 'Godfather' Confesses Feeling 'Lost' — Opposes Granting Its Power To Armies

One of the “godfathers” of artificial intelligence, Yoshua Bengio, opened up about his emotional turmoil, admitting to feeling “lost” over his life’s work and raising concerns about the dangers of granting AI power to militaries. 

What Happened: Bengio, one of the esteemed pioneers in the field of AI and often referred to as an “AI godfather,” shared a deeply personal revelation during an interview with BBC. 

He expressed a sense of confusion and emotional turmoil over his life’s work, which had previously provided him with direction and a sense of identity. 

See Also: Altman, Other AI Experts Say Technology’s Risk Of Extinction On Par With Pandemics, Nuclear Catastrophe

“It is challenging, emotionally speaking, for people who are inside [the AI field],” he said.

“You could say I feel lost. But you have to keep going and you have to engage, discuss, encourage others to think with you.”

Bengio, who, along with Geoffrey Hinton and Yann LeCun, received the Turning Award in 2018, also expressed his stance against granting AI powers to militaries. 

He stated that it is imperative for all companies involved in developing powerful AI products to undergo registration. 

The AI pioneer also emphasized the need for governments to monitor and audit these companies closely, highlighting the minimum level of oversight required that is standard for sectors such as aviation, automotive and pharmaceuticals, the report noted. 

Bengio also compared the current state of AI to climate change, stating that it is never too late to make improvements. 

Drawing a parallel, he said that while it would have been preferable not to have introduced significant carbon emissions into the atmosphere, the focus should now be on exploring and implementing solutions to address the challenges at hand.

Earlier, Bengio joined over 1,000 AI experts and tech executives, including Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, in signing an “open letter” that called for a six-month halt in developing advanced AI systems “more powerful” than OpenAI’s GPT-4.

Why It’s Important: For the unversed, Hinton, another esteemed “godfather” of AI, has previously echoed concerns expressed by Hinton. He recently left Alphabet Inc.’s GOOG GOOGL subsidiary Google, saying he regretted his work in the field. 

It is pertinent to note that Microsoft Corporation’s MSFT president Brad Smith joined forces with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in urging Congress for AI regulation. 

Alphabet Inc.’s CEO Sundar Pichai also backed the idea of developing policy frameworks for AI regulations with the help of various stakeholders from governments, industry experts and civil society. 

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Photo via Jérémy Barande on Wikimedia Commons