AI Leaders Hinton, Ng, LeCun, and Bengio Intensify Discussion on Existential Risk

In a recent series of online discussions, AI pioneers Geoffrey Hinton, Andrew Ng, Yann LeCun, and Yoshua Bengio have intensified their debate over the existential risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI). This lively exchange on platforms like X and LinkedIn illustrates a clear divide: Hinton and Bengio express substantial concerns about AI’s existential threats, while Ng and LeCun dismiss these worries as overblown, suggesting that such fears may even be leveraged by Big Tech to consolidate power.

This shift in tone marks a departure from the united front the group has maintained since leading the deep learning revolution that began in 2012. Just a year ago, LeCun and Hinton defended deep learning against critics like Gary Marcus, who claimed it had "hit a wall."

Hinton, who resigned from Google in May to freely voice his concerns about AI, recently responded to Ng’s comments in an interview with the Australian Financial Review. Ng accused Big Tech of "lying" about certain AI risks to stifle competition and provoke strict regulations. In his newsletter, The Batch, Ng expressed his greatest fear: "If overhyped risks, like human extinction, lead to stifling regulations, it could suppress open-source projects and hinder innovation."

LeCun, serving as chief AI scientist at Meta, countered Ng’s remarks, stating: "At least one Big Tech company is open sourcing AI models and not lying about AI existential risk." He elaborated that while some tech leaders genuinely worry about existential risks, he believes they exaggerate them, attributing an "unwarranted superiority complex" to this narrative.

Bengio, who, alongside Hinton and LeCun, received the prestigious 2018 ACM A.M. Turing Award for their contributions to deep learning, has recently voiced his concerns about AI risks. In an opinion piece for Canada’s Globe and Mail, he conveyed that advancements in AI, such as ChatGPT, have only heightened his apprehension about the potential dangers AI poses for future generations, stating, “AI risks are a grave source of concern for me, keeping me up at night, especially when I think about my grandson.”

Despite their differing perspectives, the debate has not tarnished the long-standing friendships among these AI pioneers. Ng shared a photo from Hinton’s retirement celebration at Google, while LeCun captured a moment with Hinton and Bengio, emphasizing, “People can disagree on important issues but still remain good friends.”