Yoshua Bengio at TED2025: A Call for Safer, More Thoughtful AI

As I sat in the audience at TED2025, I felt chills as I listened to Yoshua Bengio's impassioned plea. 

His words carried the weight of someone who has not only shaped the field of artificial intelligence but now feels a profound responsibility to warn the world about its risks and possibilities.

Yoshua Bengio, often referred to as the "Godfather of AI," is sounding an urgent call for a safer and more thoughtful approach to artificial intelligence. 

In his TED talk, Bengio shared his vision of advanced AI as a global public good—one that is governed safely and directed toward human flourishing for the benefit of all.

His core message is directed at those currently developing and deploying AI platforms: please slow down on giving AIs agency. 

He warned us that the rush to create AI systems with increasing autonomy and decision-making power is outpacing our ability to ensure their safety and security.

Despite these concerns, Bengio is not a pessimist. He described himself as a "doer," actively working on solutions. 

One of his projects is the development of "Scientist AI"—a non-agentic AI designed to make trustworthy predictions and serve as a guardrail against the risks posed by agentic AI systems. He believes this approach could also accelerate scientific research for the betterment of humanity.

Take a moment and watch his essential TED talk, and please comment and share your perspective.