Google chairman says artificial Intelligence will solve world’s problems

Artificial intelligence could one day help solve the world's ‘hard problems’ like population growth, climate change, human development and education, according to Google’s chairman, Eric Schmidt. By quickly analysing large amounts of data, AI will assist scientists to determine the relationship between the cause and effect. It will also help companies design new and more personalised systems, although collaboration to create standardised approaches will be needed. “This is so profound that we…are working incredibly hard to advance these platforms,” he said. “We can build platforms that can change the world.”

Speaking at a conference in New York today, Google chairman Eric Schmidt discussed how he believes artificial intelligence could one day help the world solve its “hard problems,” including issues like population growth, climate change, human development, and education. Schmidt explained that because of the fast pace at which AI technology is being developed, it can help scientists determine the relationship between the cause and effects of such issues by quickly analyzing large amounts of data (via Bloomberg).

“AI will play this role to navigate through this and help us,” Schmidt stated. That’s just the beginning, though, the Google chairman believes. Eventually, Schmidt believes that artificial intelligence can help companies design new and more personalized systems. Specifically, he wants to see “Eric and Not-Eric,” the former of which is the real Eric and the latter of which is “this digital thing that helps me.”

Regarding the advancement of AI, Eric Schmidt explained that companies need to work together to create standardized approaches to developing AI and publishing all research to the academic community.

“Every single advance has occurred because smart people got in a room and eventually they standardized approaches” he said. “The promise of this is so profound that we — Alphabet, Google, whatever our name is at the moment — are working incredibly hard to advance these platforms.”

Schmidt also seems to think that he is in the minority when it comes to thinking that artificial intelligence could one day solve the world’s problems. “There’s a small set of people that understand collectively that when we put all this stuff together we can build platforms that can change the world,” he said.

Schmidt tends to over blow his statements sometimes, but when he believes in something, he really believes in it, artificial intelligence seems to be a huge area of interest for the Google chairman.