10 october 2024 : Geoffrey Hinton, the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate, expressed immense pride in his former student, Ilya Sutskever, for playing a role in Sam Altman’s removal from OpenAI last year. Hinton remarked, “I’m particularly proud that one of my students fired Sam Altman,” referring to Sutskever, who completed his PhD under Hinton’s mentorship at the University of Toronto in 2013.
Hinton discussed OpenAI’s initial mission, emphasizing its focus on safety and the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI). He noted that OpenAI’s original goal was to prioritize safety, but observed that Altman’s focus had shifted toward profits, which he found unfortunate.
Ilya Sutskever was reportedly instrumental in Altman’s ouster, with the board citing concerns over the CEO’s lack of transparency. Sutskever later expressed regret and advocated for Altman’s return. After leaving OpenAI in May 2024, Sutskever founded Safe Superintelligence Inc., a company dedicated to the responsible development of AI.
Hinton, who resigned from his position at Google’s AI research team in 2023 to freely discuss the risks of AI, reiterated his concerns about the rapid advancement of AI technologies. When asked about regrets regarding his work, he stated, “Given the same circumstances, I would do the same again, but I am concerned that this could lead to systems more intelligent than us, which might eventually take control.”
Hinton, originally from London, is currently affiliated with the University of Toronto.