AI has the potential to revolutionize industries like healthcare, the workplace, filmmaking, and education. However, if misused, it can also cause significant harm.
Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, discussed the risks of AI in a recent episode of The Prof G Pod podcast with NYU professor and entrepreneur Scott Galloway. While Schmidt acknowledged that AI boosts productivity for many people, he also warned about its potential dangers if used maliciously.
Schmidt pointed out, “The most evident risk lies in its use in biology.” He raised the question, “Could AI systems eventually generate biological pathogens that could harm a large number of people?”
While AI can’t do this today, Schmidt mentioned that there are many experts who believe it may be possible in the future. These experts are working to prevent AI from becoming a biological threat.
Schmidt also highlighted AI’s potential to enable widespread cyberattacks that could take down entire financial systems or critical infrastructure.
Schmidt noted, “AI systems are so powerful that dictators could use them to gain more power, while democracies might use them for progress.”
Schmidt, who served as Google’s CEO from 2001 to 2011, also made headlines earlier this year when he claimed that remote work had caused Google to fall behind in the AI race. He later apologized for this remark, and Stanford University removed the video of the talk after it garnered widespread attention.
Schmidt isn’t the only one expressing concerns. Sahil Agarwal, the co-founder of AI safety startup Enkrypt, noted that as AI systems become more advanced, they are more likely to carry implicit biases and harmful content.
