The Godfather of AI wants an FDA-style approval system for the technology
Geoffrey Hinton, a prominent AI researcher, has proposed that AI companies should be subject to an FDA-style regulatory approval process before releasing new models. He argues that the potential for recursive self-improvement in AI poses significant safety risks that require rigorous, pre-market testing.
Why it matters
This highlights the growing debate over whether AI development requires government oversight similar to high-stakes industries like pharmaceuticals to prevent catastrophic outcomes.
The Godfather of AI said he proposes an FDA-style approval system for AI models. Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile for Collision via Getty Images Geoffrey Hinton proposed an FDA-style approval system for AI models. Hinton said companies should prove their models are safe before releasing them, as drugmakers do. Hinton warns that recursive self-improvement could make AI risks escalate quickly. Geoffrey Hinton wants AI companies to clear a hurdle familiar to drugmakers. On Tuesday’s “Smart Girl Dumb Questions” podcast, the Nobel Prize-winning computer scientist, often called the “Godfather of AI,” proposed that AI companies convince a regulator that their products are safe before releasing them. “You're not allowed to just make a new drug and release it on the market,” Hinton told podcast host Nayeema Raza. “You have to convince the FDA.
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