Geoffrey Hinton, a Nobel prize-winning computer scientist known as one of the “godfathers of AI”, told The Guardian that artificial intelligence could soon cause a major incident, such as a temporary shutdown of financial or power systems. Hinton said it is possible that, within the next year, an AI-enabled attack could lead to a large-scale event, comparing the risk to a “Chornobyl” moment for technology. He described recent AI-driven hacking incidents as warnings and urged that world leaders take the risks seriously.
Hinton criticised the leaders of major AI firms for prioritising market share over safety, naming Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. He expressed concern that current self-regulation by AI companies is inadequate and called for mandatory testing and independent evaluation, similar to pharmaceutical regulation. Hinton supports a plan backed by 33 countries for common AI standards and tougher oversight.
For senior executives in regulated sectors, Hinton’s remarks point to the possibility of operational disruption and reputational risk from AI incidents. He argues that only strong, coordinated regulation can ensure AI models are safe before release. The UK and other governments are considering international standards and independent oversight in response.
