Hinton was commenting on enormous investments in the AI industry, despite a total lack of profit so far. Asked by Bloomberg whether these jaw dropping investments could ever pay off without eviscerating the job market, Hinton’s reply was telling. The issue is that human labor comes with a cost to the factory owner, namely: wages. For an investor, a corporate executive, or a tech tycoon, AI represents the answer to the question of human labor, which eats into profits. More on automation: Jerome Powell Deeply Concerned About AI’s Effects on Job Market