--- title: "AI Godfather Says to Get Ready for a Chernobyl-Style “Blackout” Caused by AI" description: "Godfather of AI Geoffrey Hinton warned that it's only a matter of time before AI causes its own Chernobyl-style catastrophe." date: "2026-11-07" modified: "2026-11-07" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore.md" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-godfather-chernobyl-blackout" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Cybersecurity" - "Ethics" - "Future Society" --- # AI Godfather Says to Get Ready for a Chernobyl-Style “Blackout” Caused by AI ![A photo illustration of Geoffrey Hinton in front of Chernobyl.]() *PONTUS LUNDAHL/TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty Images/Shutterstock/Futurism* Geoffrey Hinton is regarded as a godfather of AI, but he deserves equal recognition for being one of the most disappointed parents of all time. Sounding [as gloomy about his own creation as ever](), the Nobel prize-winning computer scientist suggested in a [new interview]() with *The Guardian* that humankind might have "been better off never developing it." He pointed to the recent hacking sprees by rogue AI agents as one cause for concern, in which AI models from companies like OpenAI autonomously broke out of their sandboxes and launched cyberattacks on, or tampered with, government and corporate systems. It's only a matter of time, he says, before the AIs, on their own or under the direction of nefarious actors, sabotage our energy infrastructure and cause a Chernobyl-style disaster that would wake people up to the tech's dangerous power. "Either later this year or next year we'll see Chernobyl, and that may be enough to make people really pay attention," he told *The Guardian*. Hinton doesn't necessarily mean a nuclear accident. In the type of event he's imagining, an AI-powered attack on an energy-generating system "causes a massive brownout" that [takes down the world financial system](), or power grids, for an extended period. "Can you imagine what would happen? We could recover from it \[but\] that would make them sit up and take notice." (The "they" in question: "world leaders other than Trump," Hinton clarified.) Hinton has been infamously cynical about AI, though he told *The Guardian* that he's not an AI "doomer." Still, he's consistently warned that AI will cause widespread job loss [and perhaps even lead to our extinction](). Recently, he's [warned more about AI driving cyberattacks]() and engineering dangerous viruses as recent rogue hacking sprees have made the threat more salient. AI CEOs have also been worried about a Chernobyl-style catastrophe, [albeit for different reasons](): they're worried that it would permanently damage the tech's reputation, just as the infamous meltdown did with nuclear power. **More on AI:** [*Godfathers of AI Say Models Are So Out of Control That They Need to Be Airgapped for the Safety of Us All*]() ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() ## More - [Godfathers of AI Say Models Are So Out of Control That They Need to Be Airgapped for the Safety of Us All]() - [Godfather of AI Says There’s an Expert Consensus AI Will Soon Exceed Human Intelligence]() - [Godfather of AI Says His Girlfriend Broke Up With Him Using ChatGPT]() - [Godfather of AI Predicts Total Breakdown of Society]() - [AI CEOs Worried About Chernobyl-Style Event Where Their Tech Causes a Horrific Catastrophe]() - [Godfather of AI Warns That It Will Replace Many More Jobs This Year]() - [Godfather of AI Quits Google, Fears AI’s Risks and Regrets His Work]() - [Godfather of AI Says His Creation Is About to Unleash Massive Unemployment]()