Geoffrey Hinton Warns of AI’s “Inequality Trap” as Regulation Lags

Geoffrey Hinton Warns of AI’s “Inequality Trap” as Regulation Lags

September 5, 2025 – Toronto, Canada

Geoffrey Hinton, often called the “Godfather of AI,” has issued a stark warning: artificial intelligence is on track to make a handful of people unimaginably wealthy while leaving the majority behind. In a wide-ranging interview, Hinton also raised alarms about AI’s potential for misuse in creating bioweapons and autonomous cyber threats.

The Inequality Problem

Hinton believes AI will concentrate wealth in the hands of a few corporations, comparing the shift to the industrial revolution but without equivalent checks and balances. “AI will make a few people much richer and most people poorer,” he said, pointing to the winner-takes-all nature of data and compute advantage.

Existential Risks

Beyond economics, Hinton warned that AI models could be misused to generate biological weapons or launch advanced cyberattacks. His “mother–baby” analogy emphasizes that humanity must nurture AI responsibly, guiding it through infancy before it becomes too powerful to control.

Governance Gaps

While the U.S. debates regulation, China has already rolled out engineering-based governance frameworks, which Hinton praised as more grounded than Western voluntary codes. Without stronger oversight, he argues, AI could become as destabilizing as nuclear weapons.

The Big Question

Is the world moving fast enough to govern AI before inequality and misuse spiral out of control, or are Hinton’s warnings destined to become reality?