AI Over Climate: Ex-Google CEO Calls for Bigger Tech Investment Focus

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt said that we should invest our money in AI data centers instead of climate goals.

Schmidt visited Washington, DC, on Tuesday and talked about the future of AI. Schmidt was the CEO of Google from 2001 to 2011 and also led the National Security Commission on AI.

In his speech, Schmidt talked about ways to lessen the damage that AI does to the world, such as building data centers with better batteries and power lines. But he believes that AI’s fast growth will finally be faster than these efforts.

Everything else will be pushed to the side by the huge needs of this new technology. Since it’s a tool that can be used by anyone and an alien intelligence has arrived, He told them, “We might make mistakes with how it’s used, but I can promise you that conservation is not going to get us there.”

Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, says it’s time to put all of our money into AI infrastructure because the climate goals are too high to meet any other way.

It’s not possible for AI to meet its energy needs without hurting the environment, Schmidt said. “We’re not going to hit the climate goals anyway because we’re not organized to do it,”

There will be a problem with meeting the needs in this area, but he said, “I’d rather bet on AI solving the problem than putting limits on it and having the problem.”