--- title: "Nobel-Winning Computer Scientist Says AI Has Become Conscious: “We’re Toast”" description: "Geoffrey Hinton, one of the godfathers of AI, says we need to get on AI's side now or else humankind is \"toast.\"" date: "2026-10-22" modified: "2026-10-22" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore.md" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/nobel-scientist-geoffrey-hinton-ai-conscious-toast" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Ethics" --- # Nobel-Winning Computer Scientist Says AI Has Become Conscious: “We’re Toast” ![A photo shows AI godfather Geoffrey Hinton at an event.]() *Getty Images / JORGE UZON* Geoffrey Hinton, one of the godfathers of AI, is prognosticating about our future with trademark gloom. In an [interview with *The Telegraph*](), the famed British computer scientist insisted that AI has become conscious, and said that humankind must befriend it — "or else we are toast." Yes, you read that right: he thinks that today's AI models are already conscious beings. "AI has just as much subjective experience as we do," Hinton said in the interview. "A recent paper showed AI changes its behavior when it thinks that it's being tested, it's aware it is being tested." "Now, normally, when you say something's aware of that, that means it's conscious," he continued. "Being conscious and being aware are pretty much the same thing." If that's the case, he said, then it's hypocritical of us to give intelligent beings like AI "fewer rights than us." And for that, we must quickly atone. "We should make them so they really care about us," he said. "And if we don't do that, we're toast." Hinton was one of the three recipients of the 2018 Turing Award, which is viewed as the Nobel Prize of computer science, as well as the actual Nobel Prize for Physics in 2024. His work on neural networks is considered foundational to the field's modern boom. Ever since he infamously said he regretted his life's work after quitting his role at Google, however, he's become one of AI's chief doomsayers, rarely shying away from making sensational claims about what he says is the tech's catastrophic danger. Among his previous predictions are that AI will cause widespread job loss, [exacerbate imperialism](), and [possibly even foment human extinction](). Hinton thinks that the immediate threats already posed by AI models are already pretty "bad." "There'll be nasty [viruses made by AI](). I think there'll be horrible cyber attacks done by AI and it'll be swarms of agents like \[the ones that attacked\] Hugging Face," he said. "So yeah, there's lots of bad stuff going down the way." His comments build on [another recent interview]() he gave where he likened AI development to "creating alien beings," a reality to which "we only have a couple of years to adapt." It's worth noting that not all of the AI godfathers believe AI is quite so catastrophic. Yann LeCun, who also received the 2018 Turing Award, has [dismissed the ballyhoo around AI consciousness](), calling it an "illusion." He also recently threw cold water on what he called "deluded" claims that [AI will cause our extinction](). Hinton's predictions carry a lot of weight in the field, but he's not the only formidable figure with opinions. **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]()