Jeffrey Hinton is a deep learning pioneer who has helped develop some of the most important techniques at the heart of modern artificial intelligence. But after a decade at Google, he is now stepping down to focus on new concerns about AI.
Impressed by the capabilities of new large-scale language models like GPT-4, Hinton wants to raise public awareness of the serious risks he believes may accompany the technology he has introduced.
Our top A.I. Editor Will Douglas Haven sat down with Hinton at his north London home four days before the bombshell announcement. Hinton has expressed his belief that machines are on the way to becoming much smarter than he thought – and why he’s scared of how that might happen. Read the full story.
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A brain scan can translate a person’s thoughts into words
what happened: A non-invasive brain-computer interface capable of converting human thoughts into words may one day help people who have lost the ability to speak due to injuries such as stroke or ALS.
How to do it: In a new study published in Nature Neuroscience, a model trained in functional magnetic resonance imaging scans of three volunteers was able to predict complete sentences with remarkable accuracy – just by looking at their brain activity.
Why is it important? The experiment raises ethical issues in the future use of brain decoders for monitoring and diagnosis, highlighting the importance of future policies to protect our brain data. Read the full story.
– Rhiannon Williams
