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Geoffrey Hinton says humanity might have been better off without AI

The Guardian reports that AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton warned of a possible large-scale incident and criticized leaders of major AI companies.

Published Nov 3, 2026 · 23:47 UTC1 reports

The short version

  • Hinton told the Guardian that humanity might have been better off never developing AI.[The Guardian]
  • He warned that a large-scale incident, such as a temporary financial or power blackout, could occur this year or next.[The Guardian]
  • He said he does not trust OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and accused major AI leaders of prioritizing money over risks.[The Guardian]
  • He backs mandatory independent testing of frontier AI models, while Donald Trump has said AI companies should regulate themselves.[The Guardian]

Key facts

  • Hinton said humanity might have been better off never developing artificial intelligence.[The Guardian]
  • Hinton warned that a large-scale incident, such as a temporary blackout of financial or power systems, could occur this year or next.[The Guardian]
  • Hinton said he does not trust OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and accused major AI leaders of understanding risks but prioritizing money.[The Guardian]
  • Hinton backs mandatory testing of frontier AI models, independent evaluation, and intergovernmental common standards, a plan endorsed by the president of Finland and 32 other countries.[The Guardian]
  • Trump has said he rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme to control AI and wants frontier AI companies to regulate themselves.[The Guardian]
  • Hinton quit Google in 2023 to speak freely about AI risks.[The Guardian]

What remains uncertain

  • Hinton's warning of a large-scale incident is his personal opinion; its timing and likelihood are not established.[The Guardian]
  • Hinton's criticisms of Altman, Zuckerberg and Musk are presented as his personal belief, not established fact.[The Guardian]
  • Altman said in September the world should trust AI companies to do the right thing, a position that contrasts with Hinton's criticism.[The Guardian]
  • Hinton's preference for mandatory testing conflicts with Trump's stated preference for company self-regulation, amid concern about the US race with China.[The Guardian]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.