AI Godfather Geoffrey Hinton Reveals His Ex Used ChatGPT to Break Up With Him

Artificial intelligence is no longer confined to labs and offices—it is slowly becoming part of people’s everyday lives, shaping decisions, habits, and even relationships. And in a rather surprising anecdote, Geoffrey Hinton, often referred to as the Godfather of AI, revealed that even his personal life was touched by the technology he helped pioneer.

In a candid conversation with the Financial Times, Hinton shared how his ex-girlfriend once turned to AI to end their relationship. “She got ChatGPT to tell me what a rat I was,” Hinton recalled. “She got the chatbot to explain how awful my behaviour was and gave it to me. I didn’t think I had been a rat, so it didn’t make me feel too bad. I met somebody I liked more, you know how it goes.”

The story highlights how AI has crept into unexpected areas of human interaction, showing how people are relying on tools like ChatGPT not only for advice but also for difficult conversations.

From Lighthearted Anecdote to Serious Concerns

While this episode offered a lighter glimpse into Hinton’s personal life, his perspective on AI remains serious. Hinton, who left Google in 2023—a move he described as retirement—has been increasingly vocal about the profound risks posed by artificial intelligence.

Speaking about the future of AI, he warned of challenges ranging from widespread job displacement to the rise of machines far more intelligent than humans. “When the assistant is much smarter than you, how are you going to retain that power?” he asked during the interview.

The “Mother and Baby” Analogy

To explain a possible safeguard, Hinton suggested that AI should be engineered to act more like caregivers. “There is only one example we know of a much more intelligent being controlled by a much less intelligent being, and that is a mother and baby. If babies couldn’t control their mothers, they would die. The only hope is to engineer AI to become mothers to us, because the mother is very concerned about the baby, preserving the life of the baby.”

This analogy, though unusual, reflects Hinton’s belief that human survival may depend on designing AI systems with deeply ingrained protective instincts.

How Soon Could Superintelligence Arrive?

When asked about the timeline for AI surpassing human intelligence—often described as superintelligence—Hinton did not shy away from the possibility of rapid change. “A lot of scientists agree between five and 20 years, that’s the best bet,” he said. But with that progress comes danger. Once AI reaches such a level, Hinton cautioned, it could “possess the ability to outmanoeuvre humans,” raising urgent questions about whether humanity can maintain control.