Even AI pioneers get dumped by a chatbot – Geoffrey Hinton’s breakup story

AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton says his ex used ChatGPT to break up with him, showing AI’s role in personal relationships

Hinton, who is sometimes described as the Godfather of AI, has revealed in a Financial Times interview that his girlfriend had once used ChatGPT to tell him why he’d been like “a rat.”

The AI-generated parting shot was ultimately a breakup message, which brings about a twist of irony.

Hinton, whose most influential contributions to the development of AI came in the 1980s, took the news lightly and revealed that he had already met someone else.

With AI now regularly used for drafting emails and everyday problem-solving, the Hinton example shows how it can even shape how we communicate with one another.

In August, OpenAI warned users against using AI to make decisions for them, instead using it to talk things through.

This is intended to reduce the pressure on high-stakes decisions, and alternatively give empathy to the user, especially in times of emotional distress.

AI meddles in emotions

Back in March, researchers from the MIT media lab, along with OpenAI, analysed millions of chat conversations and audio interactions and found that the most frequent “power users” may experience increased feelings of loneliness.

The study reinforces that AI may be a helpful tool, and that while human experiences and feelings may fluctuate when using it, it can’t replace human interaction.

Hinton's revelation may come as a cautionary anecdote, as someone who was deep in the research of AI has now experienced the quirks of AI intervention firsthand.