Geoffrey Hinton, considered one of the “godfathers of artificial intelligence,” made a pessimistic forecast at an event in Washington
On November 19, 2025, Georgetown University in Washington hosted a public conversation between Sen Bernie Sanders Nobel Prize-winning computer scientist Geoffrey HintonHe is considered one of the “godfathers of artificial intelligence.” The event, held at Gaston Hall and organized by the Institute for Public Policy and Services, discussed the social and economic impacts of… artificial intelligence And its ability to reshape the global workforce.
Hinton, whose pioneering research into neural networks earned him a Turing Award in 2018, said the current technological transformation is unlike previous revolutions. In his estimation, the changes this time will not open new action fronts to replace the old ones. “People who lose their jobs will have no other jobs to go to,” he said. He then added: “If AI becomes as smart as humans – or smarter – then any job they can do can be done by AI.”
The researcher insisted that big tech companies already operate under this logic. As he said during the discussion, “These people are really betting that AI will replace a lot of workers.” He cited customer service as an example of professions that, because they require little training and involve low wages, are being targeted as a prime target for large-scale automation.
Sanders used this hook to criticize the role of billionaires in the development of artificial intelligence, pointing out what people like Elon Musk They are among the main funders and enthusiasts of this technological race. According to the senator, these businessmen rarely “spend sleepless nights” worrying about low-income workers. For him, the central point of the debate “is not whether AI is good or bad, but who controls it and who benefits from it.”
Hinton also warned of the fragility of the economic model that accompanies this revolution. He stated that personalities such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Ellison They “did not think” about the fact that “if workers don’t get paid, there will be no one to buy their products.” The criticism points to a paradox: the same automation that promises efficiency can erode the consumer base in the market.
The second part of the event was devoted to student questions, including questions about misinformation and deepfakes. Hinton maintained his skepticism, saying that he did not believe that AI systems would, in the long term, be able to detect counterfeits produced by AI itself. Instead, it called for prevention strategies against misinformation, surfacing labeled false content to educate the public before critical moments, such as elections.
At the meeting, Hinton also revisited projections that had been worrying the scientific community since 2023. That year, he said, “Until very recently, I thought it would take 20 to 50 years to have general-purpose AI. Now I think it may take 20 years or less.” He went further than current expectations by declaring that modern models like GPT-5 “already know thousands of times more than we do.”
Geopolitical implications were also on the agenda. Hinton argued that the use of autonomous systems in war would reduce political costs for rich nations, as the absence of military casualties would reduce internal resistance. “I think this will remove one of the main obstacles for rich and powerful countries to invade small countries like Grenada,” he said, recalling the 1983 US invasion.
In closing, Sanders asked the audience to express whether they saw AI as a positive force in their lives – many of whom raised their hands. He then asked who was concerned about its effects, and almost everyone answered in the affirmative. Hinton agreed that it is not yet possible to clearly predict what will happen in the next decade, but insisted that society still plays a crucial role in how technology is used, as long as it understands how it works and prioritizes collective well-being above direct profit.
Geoffrey Hinton is one of the biggest names in the history of computing, and one of the innovators of computing technologies Deep learning That supports modern generative AI models. In 2023, He left his position at Google After more than a decade at the company, he claimed to be concerned about the direction of technology and stated that he needed to be free to criticize the industry. At the time, he publicly declared that he “regretted” parts of his career because he believed artificial intelligence was advancing faster than human ability to control it, a position he has since reinforced in almost all of his public appearances.