Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt thinks artificial intelligence capabilities could endanger humanity within five to ten years and companies aren’t doing enough to prevent harm. In an interview at Axios’ AI+ Summit, Schmidt compared the development of AI to nuclear weapons at the end of World War II. He said after Nagasaki and Hiroshima, it took 18 years to get a treaty over test bans but “we don’t have that kind of time today.” AI dangers begin when “the computer can start to make its own decision to do things,” like discovering weapons. The technology is accelerating at a quick pace. Two years ago, experts warned that AI could endanger humanity in 20 years. But now, Schmidt said experts think it could be anywhere from two to four years away. Schmidt suggested the creation of a global entity, similar to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, to “feed accurate information to policymakers” so the urgency of the issue is understood. Despite his warnings, the former Google CEO thinks AI can still be a tool for humanity. “I defy you to argue that an AI doctor or an AI tutor is a negative,” he told Axios. “It’s got to be good for the world.” Schmidt’s warnings come less than a month after President Biden signed a sweeping executive order on AI. The order includes several new actions including safety, privacy, protecting workers and protecting innovations.

Full story : Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt says current AI guardrails are not enough and could endanger humanity in 5 years.