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Romanes Lecture: 'Godfather of AI' speaks about the risks of artificial intelligence

University of Oxford hosted Professor Geoffrey Hinton, CC, FRS, FRSC, the ‘Godfather of AI’, to deliver its annual Romanes Lecture at the Sheldonian Theatre on Monday, 19 February. Watch the full lecture here.

The public lecture entitled ‘Will digital intelligence replace biological intelligence?’ discussed the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) and how to ensure it does not take control of humans, and consequently, wipe out humanity. He said that the fact that digital intelligence is immortal and does not evolve should make it less susceptible to religion and wars, but ‘if a digital super-intelligence ever wanted to take control it is unlikely that we could stop it,’ he added.

The British-Canadian computer scientist and cognitive psychologist also spoke of how AI could replace humans in the workforce and how it could be used to spread misinformation. He had previously believed that it could take AI systems up to a century to become ‘super intelligent’. He now thinks that it could happen much sooner than he had anticipated.

Vice-Chancellor Irene Tracey CBE, FRS, FMedSci, presented a certificate to Professor Hinton for sharing his intellectual leadership by delivering the annual Romanes Lecture.

Read more about the lecture here.