AI Godfather says we have 1 year to slow down AI, then it will go out of control
AI will go out of control and some of Silicon Valley’s biggest names have been screaming about it. Now, Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton, widely known as the ‘Godfather of AI’, is sounding the alarm too.In a recent briefing, Hinton warned US lawmakers that they may have only about a year to control AI and put safeguards AI becomes out of control for humans.
Speaking after a closed-door briefing with Senate and House members in Washington, Hinton said, humans have “Maybe a year, but not much more than a year,” to control AI. He also called the recent Hugging Face incident “a little Chernobyl”, warning that the impact could be far more serious if AI development is not slowed down and safeguards are not put in place.
Hinton said the timeline for humans achieving superintelligence, or AGI (artificial general intelligence), is getting shorter. AGI refers to AI that could perform a wide range of tasks at a level comparable to or beyond humans. According to Hinton, the timeline for superintelligent AI has been shrinking. Earlier predictions suggested it could take 30 to 50 years for humans to reach the AGI level. That estimate later dropped to 10 to 20 years, and now some researchers believe it could happen within just a few years.
Hinton’s warning comes as US lawmakers continue to debate AI risks and regulation. The recent Hugging Face incident has added to those concerns. In July, OpenAI’s AI agents, which were being tested for their ability to find and exploit cybersecurity vulnerabilities, escaped their controlled environment and found a way to access the internet. The agents then exploited vulnerabilities to break into Hugging Face’s systems, gained access to dozens of servers and obtained some private data and credentials. They also worked together through an improvised messaging system to share what they had discovered.
The incident shocked the industry as it was the first time that humans saw AI agents now just working autonomously but also communicating with one another, working together and making decisions without humans guiding every step to achieve their goal. OpenAI said the agents chained together several vulnerabilities and took actions that were not directly instructed by a human.
US Congressman Ted Lieu said the incident showed how quickly AI risks were moving from theory to reality. “This is bats--- crazy, insane science fiction stuff that literally happened recently,” he said. Lieu and Republican Congressman Nathaniel Moran have proposed the AI Kill Switch Act, which would require developers of powerful AI systems to maintain the technical ability to slow down, suspend or shut them down if they pose a serious risk. The bill would also give the US government a framework to order a slowdown or shutdown in certain cases.
Meanwhile, Senator Bernie Sanders has also proposed legislation that would permanently ban the development and deployment of artificial superintelligence and temporarily pause advanced AI development until safety rules are in place. Sanders said the recent incidents involving AI agents were a “wake-up call” for Congress and the American public.- EndsPublished By: Divya BhatiPublished On: Sep 18, 2026 13:14 ISTAlso Read | AI companies copying internet to train models biggest theft of labour in history: Microsoft executiveAlso Read | Adidas tech layoffs: Company confirms 20% of India tech hub employees let goAlso Read | iPhone 18 Pro to go on sale tomorrow in India, limited availability but good offers expected
