Geoffrey Hinton, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist regarded as one of the pioneers of artificial intelligence, has warned that the world could face a major catastrophe caused by AI this year or as early as next year, according to a report. Hinton believes the crisis could be similar to the Chernobyl disaster, potentially bringing electricity and financial systems to a complete standstill, at least temporarily. In an interview with British newspaper The Guardian, he said that although he is not entirely pessimistic about the technology, given the current circumstances he believes humanity would have been better off never laying the foundations for this dangerous technology in the first place, and that a major Chernobyl-style incident may be the only thing that forces world leaders to recognise its hidden and deadly dangers. He was referring to US President Donald Trump as well as other key leaders around the world. Hinton also criticised prominent technology industry figures including Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Sam Altman, saying they are fully aware of the serious consequences of this technology but value their financial gains more than human interests. Hinton, who had a long association with Google, left the company so he could warn the world about AI's dangerous aspects without fear or restrictions. He has previously expressed concerns that if AI systems begin developing their own language and ways of thinking, humanity could permanently lose control over them, and that machines are beginning to generate dangerous ideas humans may no longer be capable of understanding. He remains hopeful that humans still have full control over this technology for now,