Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt on AI, China and the future

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt on AI, China and the future

Eric Schmidt

Eric Schmidt

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Washington Post Live

Washington Post Live

Dec 19, 2024

In short

In short

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Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO, discussed AI in a Washington Post interview. He said AI helps scientists work faster by processing huge amounts of data at once. AI is making big strides in fields like drug discovery, climate research, and new materials. Schmidt thinks the US and China are racing to lead in AI, with both countries having strong talent and funding. He worries about risks like cyber attacks and dangerous viruses, but sees AI as crucial for solving big problems. He wants the US to boost energy supplies, welcome skilled workers, and keep funding science to stay ahead.

Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO, discussed AI in a Washington Post interview. He said AI helps scientists work faster by processing huge amounts of data at once. AI is making big strides in fields like drug discovery, climate research, and new materials. Schmidt thinks the US and China are racing to lead in AI, with both countries having strong talent and funding. He worries about risks like cyber attacks and dangerous viruses, but sees AI as crucial for solving big problems. He wants the US to boost energy supplies, welcome skilled workers, and keep funding science to stay ahead.

“This is the most powerful technology that will be invented in our lifetimes. It's as important as electricity and heating and air conditioning... because it's intelligence that's available to everyone”

“This is the most powerful technology that will be invented in our lifetimes. It's as important as electricity and heating and air conditioning... because it's intelligence that's available to everyone”

Eric Schmidt

Eric Schmidt

Eric Schmidt is best known as Google's CEO (2001-2011) who helped transform the company from a Silicon Valley startup into a global tech giant.

Eric Schmidt is best known as Google's CEO (2001-2011) who helped transform the company from a Silicon Valley startup into a global tech giant.

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Reid Hoffman

"When you're encountering a new technology, if you approach it as something taking away your power, you're throwing yourself under the wheels. But if you see how you can use it to extend what you can do, it becomes much better.”

Alex Rampell

"If AI handles the routine work, humans can focus on building relationships and being creative, which computers can't replicate.”

Eric Schmidt

“This is the most powerful technology that will be invented in our lifetimes. It's as important as electricity and heating and air conditioning... because it's intelligence that's available to everyone”

Sundar Pichai

"I'm very confident there'll be a lot of progress in 2025... I think the models are definitely going to get better at reasoning, completing a sequence of actions more reliably."

Mustafa Suleyman

“Memory is the key thing coming soon… it will remember your preferences and give advice based on your tastes and past interactions.”

Y Combinator

"The vertical equivalence will be 10 times as large as the SaaS company that they are disrupting... They spend way more on employees than they do on software.”

Andrew Ng

"With generative AI, applications that used to take six months to build can now be developed in just 10 days.”

Dr. Kai-Fu Lee

"There are two kinds of companies at the end of this decade: Companies that are fully utilizing AI and everyone else is out of business"

Dario Amodei

"If you extrapolate the curves that we've had so far... it does make you think that we'll get there by 2026 or 2027.”

Sam Altman

"If we could just get truly abundant intelligence and energy, what we’d be able to make happen in the world is extraordinary."

Bill Gates

"AI has the potential to finally deliver on the promise of tech in education, creating personal tutors for every student."

Matt Cynamon

“If you’re relying on AI to produce the final product, you’ll be disappointed. But if you use it to help get there, it’s extremely powerful.”

Lex Fridman

"I think we're at the beginning of a fundamental transformation in how humans create software. The relationship between human and machine in the creative process of building systems is being redefined."

Benedict Evans

"Once it works people say well that's not AI, that's just a database, it's just a computer... it's just software"

Bill Gates

“The deeper skillset, whether it's medical consultation, scientific thinking, or customer support, will have more value even in a world where productivity is enhanced by AI”

Making AI accessible and practical for anyone ready to build, learn, and grow

Making AI accessible and practical for anyone ready to build, learn, and grow

Making AI accessible and practical for anyone ready to build, learn, and grow