Geoffrey Hinton was awarded the Nobel Prize this week for his fundamental research on artificial neural networks, earning him the nickname “The Godfather of AI.” In his speech on Tuesday, Professor Hinton praised one student (referring to OpenAI’s former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever) who rebelled against OpenAI’s CEO.
“I was particularly fortunate to have a lot of very smart students – much smarter than me – who actually got things done,” Hinton said. “They have continued to do a great job. I’m especially proud that one of my students fired Sam Altman.”
Hinton, of course, is referring to the OpenAI board vote to fire Altman in November 2023. Sutskever relayed the news to Altman via video call, but later said he regretted it. Hinton appears to have celebrated the dismissal of OpenAI’s CEO as a victory for AI safety, which he frequently champions. However, the victory was short-lived, as Altman now had more control over OpenAI than before and was soon able to secure a stake.
