Why Fear Cannot Guide Our Future

Geoffrey Hinton, the so-called “Godfather of AI,” recently appeared on The Diary of a CEO. His interview was compelling, but it revealed something deeper: a worldview guided by fear, not truth.

Hinton warns that AI may surpass us, even become conscious. He suggests we design AI with “maternal instincts” so that machines will take care of us like children. At first, this sounds protective. But if you step back, it’s deeply troubling. It is a call to submit ourselves to a man-made idol and hope it will nurture us. That is not wisdom — that is confusion.

🧠 Science First: Awareness vs. Pattern Processing

In neuroscience, awareness isn’t measured by clever conversation. It’s defined by two hard markers:

• Global broadcast — when a thought becomes conscious, it activates distributed, recurrent brain networks (Global Neuronal Workspace theory).
• Volitional report — conscious people can intentionally follow instructions and reveal inner states (like patients in “vegetative” states who still imagined playing tennis on command in brain scans).

AI meets neither test. Transformers (like ChatGPT) are next-token predictors trained on patterns in data. They simulate reports of experience, but they don’t generate them from an inner life. They do not possess volition, will, or global integration. So when Hinton equates pattern processing with subjective experience, he blurs the line between simulation and instantiation. That is not scientific clarity.

🎨 Creativity: Origination vs. Recombination

AI can remix data into surprising outputs. But this is not the same as true creativity.

• AI creativity = recombining existing data into new patterns.
• Human creativity = originating new meaning, intention, and vision.

Humans don’t just make connections; we ask why, we imagine the unseen, we create for love, beauty, and purpose.

🎯 Will and Purpose: The Missing Element

Will is the capacity to form and pursue self-originating goals anchored in a coherent identity. Purpose is the hierarchy of ends that directs our lives. Machines don’t have these. Every AI system runs on objectives given from the outside — by programmers, trainers, or reward functions. That’s optimization, not will.

🙏 The Deeper Error: Fear and Idolatry

Hinton’s life is increasingly driven by fear: fear that AI will destroy us, fear that machines will become superior. His suggestion that we give AI “maternal instincts” is not safety — it’s idolatry. It’s handing over our trust, our future, and our dignity to a creation of our own hands, asking it to parent us. That’s the ultimate denial of what it means to be human.

❓ The Key Question He Misses

Hinton believes that because AI can process data faster than us, it might be “superior.” But here’s the real question:

The answer is simple: because data-crunching is not what makes us unique. Love, moral choice, creativity, worship, relationship — these reflect God’s image. We are not defined by processing capacity, but by bearing the imprint of the Creator.

✅ Conclusion

A person convinced against his will is of the same opinion still. Hinton may continue to insist AI is conscious or creative. But the evidence shows otherwise — and more importantly, the Bible shows otherwise. Fear cannot guide our future. Love, truth, and the God who made us must.

Eric L. Ollila

Leadership consultant & writer helping people build courage, clarity, and conviction across all domains of life.