During a conversation on the “Diary of a CEO” podcast, Geoffrey Hinton, the so-called “Godfather of AI”, warns unequivocally of rapid changes in the labor market due to artificial intelligence, which could cost millions of jobs.
Who is Geoffrey Hinton? Geoffrey Hinton is one of the most significant figures in the history of artificial intelligence. As a co-developer of modern neural networks, he laid the groundwork for many of today’s AI technologies with the breakthrough of AlexNet in 2012.
For his research achievements, he received numerous awards, including the Turing Award – the most prestigious award in computer science – and the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2024. His work at the University of Toronto and at Google Brain made him one of the most important pioneers of AI research (via MIT).
People can be displaced from sectors
What exactly did Hinton say on the podcast? In the 90-minute conversation with the “Diary of a CEO” podcast, Hinton expressed concern about the speed at which AI could replace human workers. According to him, particularly affected are jobs based on routine and simpler intellectual tasks. He literally speaks of a “10 to 20% chance that AI will completely displace humans” (via Diary of a CEO).
However, Hinton also notes that it depends on future developments. It is a conjecture that could be shaped with enough research and resources to cause less harm to humans.
Which jobs are considered relatively safe by Hinton? Despite the rather gloomy outlook, Hinton also sees areas where AI will increasingly play a supportive role. Especially in healthcare, artificial intelligence could improve the work of doctors rather than simply replace them. A key term here is efficiency.
AI could automate administrative tasks in healthcare or assist in diagnoses, while the human factor – empathy, decision-making ability, and understanding complex individual situations – remains intact.
We could get five times as much healthcare for the same price, and that would be great. There is almost no limit to how much healthcare people can accept.
Geoffrey Hinton
Additionally, professions requiring manual dexterity and physical presence, such as plumbers or caregivers, are considered relatively protected from automation, according to Hinton.
What else does Geoffrey Hinton say about AI development?
What were the differences in development? In the podcast, Hinton not only talks about possible job losses, but also addresses fundamental differences in dealing with AI safety. His assessment of Google and OpenAI became particularly clear: while Google acts quite cautiously to protect its reputation, OpenAI has consciously taken risks to be faster. Especially regarding safety (via BusinessInsider).
Hinton praises Google’s internal development culture, which, according to its own statement, allows ethical debates, but expressed caution regarding the moral compass of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman – with a “We’ll see”.
While experts like Geoffrey Hinton warn of real consequences of AI development and integration into daily life, the use of low-threshold AI tools has already become everyday life. A new survey on usage already shows interesting results: 70% of users say “Hello” and “Please” to ChatGPT, but not just out of politeness, but also out of fear
