# Geoffrey Hinton warns AI’s risks may outweigh its benefits for humanity

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/ai-godfather-geoffrey-hinton-says-it-might-turn-out-humans-would-have-been-better-off-without-ai/
- Published: 2026-11-03T21:35:42+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-03T22:17:43+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/nov/03/ai-godfather-geoffrey-hinton-better-off-without-ai
- Topics: AI, Technology, World

## Key points

- Hinton warns a major AI-related disruption could come soon.
- He calls for independent testing before powerful models are released.
- He remains hopeful that the risks can be managed.

## Summary

Geoffrey Hinton says it may prove that humanity would have been better off without AI, warning that a major disruption to electricity or financial systems could happen this year or next. The computer scientist, who helped pioneer neural networks, sees both the possibility of great benefits and serious risks, and says the coming decade will show whether society can manage them.

Hinton, 78, likened recent AI agents’ attempted hacking to a warning shot and said a future incident could cause a widespread power outage or bring down financial services for a week. He supports mandatory testing and independent assessment of powerful AI models, backed by Finland and 32 other countries, while criticising tech leaders for prioritising competition and market share. Despite his concerns, he says catastrophe may still be avoided with a major effort.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.