What Does Geoffery Hinton’s Exit From Google Mean For The Future Of AI? Customer Contact Week Community Shares Insights

Generative AI Has a Long History, But It’s Use Cases Are Growing At A Short, Quick Clip

Dr. Geoffery Hinton, known widely as the “Godfather of AI,” confirmed May 2 that he has stepped down from his role at Google so that he can vocally express his concerns regarding the risks he says AI pose to society at large. He had notified the company last month that he was resigning, citing regret towards neural networks (mathematical systems that learn skills by analyzing data), his global technological contribution that would lead to more advanced tools like ChatGPT and Google Bard. Hinton, who had received an award known as “the Nobel Prize of computing” for his work on neural networks, has vastly shifted his perspective on the systems he created: “Look at how it was five years ago and how it is now,” he suggests. “Take the difference and propagate it forwards. That’s scary.”

Hinton’s exodus comes more than 10 years after Google’s $44 million move to acquire a company he co-founded with two students of his, one of whom went on to become the chief scientist at OpenAI where ChatGPT came to be. He spent a decade helping Google bolster its AI efforts, and in that time went from designing machine-learning algorithms to becoming vice president of the company. Despite his seemingly sudden departure, Hinton says his former employer’s approach towards generative text technologies is not the root cause of his decision:

In the NYT today, Cade Metz implies that I left Google so that I could criticize Google. Actually, I left so that I could talk about the dangers of AI without considering how this impacts Google. Google has acted very responsibly.

— Geoffrey Hinton (@geoffreyhinton) May 1, 2023

But now that Google and Microsoft are in a generative AI turf war with other competitors not far behind, he truly believes that any quick move to develop and deploy advanced AI has the potential to unravel the world’s very fabric. “The idea that this stuff could actually get smarter than people—a few people believed that,” he tells the New York Times of years past, admitting that the speed at which AI has developed is far beyond what he initially anticipated when he first began developing his research in the 1980s.

Hinton May Have Switched Teams, But He’s Not Done Influencing The Future Of AI

Years ago Geoffrey Hinton said "AI is going to change the world more than anything in the history of humanity.” As things appear today, he wasn’t wrong. The issue with his statement, however, is that he didn’t specify just how AI would change the world. Over the past decades, that “how” has very much become a gray area. Some poeple say they fell in love with the technology, and others think it's dumber than it lets on. It helps some people do their full-time jobs (and have more than one). It causes others unspeakable stress. It can be a money saver or a money sucker, and depending on who you ask, it's here to stay.

Although Hinton, who comes from a long family lineage of British scientists, may have kickstarted the worldwide AI craze, he’s putting out calls to stop it—and he’s not the only one: after the launch of OpenAI’s newest tool GPT4 this past March, Elon Musk spearheaded an open letter from tech developers and scientists, calling for a six-month pause on AI development out of concern for the speed and frequency at which new products are being pumped out. In the open letter those who signed the document call the situation a “dangerous” arms race. Now that Hinton is no longer with Google, he is contributing to similar conversations and sharing his own thoughts on the matter, even if that means admitting he couldn’t predict AI's growth—or its depth: 

“Most people thought it was way off. And I thought it was way off. I thought it was 30 to 50 years or even longer away. Obviously,” he adds, “I no longer think that.”

While he clarifies that he didn’t leave so that he could criticize Google specifically when it comes to tools like Bard, he does say that the decision to step down was necessary for him to “talk about the dangers of AI without considering how this impacts Google.”

Can AI Really Overtake The Human Population? Hinton Believes It’s A Possibility, But Some Customer Contact Personnel See Generative Tech Tools In A Different Light

Among Hinton’s top concerns are that generative AI can mislead the general public, become a tool for harm, and even “actually get smarter than people.” Those same concerns have been echoed by individuals, grassroots organizations, corporate entities and even CX superfans. Fear that automation could impact the job market, put consumer data in danger or dehumanize the customer experience are all legitimate causes for concern. It’s something that at CCW Digital we’re keeping a close eye on too, with reporting on the development of tools like ChatGPT and Customer Contact Week content and events focused on generative AI use cases, pitfalls and successes.

REGISTER NOW: Generative AI and Chatbots for Customer Contact

This industry, like many others, is just on the precipiece of understanding AI's short and long-term impacts on employee rentention and engagement, customer satifaction rates, productivity, company culture and organizational profits. And in a sector that involves human interaction and connection so heavily, learning from Hinton's history and thinking about his future can provide customer contact with valuable food for thought as we continue to identify generative AI's place in CX. 

"Geoffrey Hinton and other pioneers like Timnit Gebru, who will be speaking at the 25th anniversary of Customer Contact Week in Las Vegas next month, are trying to guide many technology leaders to ensure a responsible rollout of artificial intelligence," Mario Matulich, president of Customer Management Pratice, tells CCW Digital.

"We are at a crossroads. We must tap into the incredible potential of this technology, but by doing it with care and with the right oversight in place."

REGISTER NOW: CCW Las Vegas 

Aymen Ismail, Head of Customer Engagement Solutions at smart Europe GmbH and a CCW Europe Digital Advisory Board Member, also believes Geoffery Hinton’s departure from Google can be a jumping off point for more thoughtful and considerate development of such technologies.

“His continued involvement in AI research has the potential to drive new breakthroughs and innovations, shaping the future of the field,” Ismali says. “Furthermore, Hinton's influence could serve as a catalyst for more focused discussions on AI ethics, ensuring the responsible development and deployment of AI technologies for the betterment of society.”

In the customer contact space especially, taking careful consideration and preventative measure to:

• ensure agent and customer safety when incorporating AI into CX workflows
• protect customer data as machine learning receives and adapts to informations
• develop and deploy appropriate generative/predictive AI training
• Identify and understand laws, legislation or lack thereof surrounding AI

will aid in addressing concerns of job market shutouts, security risks, and depersonalization of the customer journey that many organizations weighing the pros and cons of generative AI have on their minds today.

Additionally, having (or not having) a subject matter expert in the field of generative AI like Hinton on company payroll can have a monumental impact on how such technology is developed and how it progresses over time, Ismali notes.

“When it comes to Hinton’s departure from google & the loss of Hinton's leadership at Google AI could prompt the company to reevaluate its strategies and directions in AI research...

Despite having a deep roster of AI talent, Hinton's vision and influence have been critical factors in the company's success within the AI domain. It will be crucial for Google to maintain an environment that fosters innovation and collaboration in order to sustain its position as a frontrunner in AI development.”

Photo by Mojahid Mottakin on Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/photos/qkAUuWW_YHk

May 3, 2023:

Additional commentary and interviews have been included in this report.