Former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt is rejecting calls by fellow technology leaders to pause research into artificial intelligence (A.I.), saying such as halt would benefit China.
A report published Tuesday in the Harvard International Review warned that Chinese development of A.I. technology poses "uncertain risks" to western powers.
"China is very smart, they know what they are doing. We need to get our act together," Schmidt said in an exclusive interview with The Australian Financial Review.
Instead of a pause, Schmidt said technology leaders should agree on appropriate guardrails.
Eric Schmidt, former executive chairman of Alphabet inc., the new holding which oversees some activities of Google, attends a conference during Viva Technology at Parc des Expositions Porte de Versailles on June 15, 2017, in Paris, France. (Christophe Morin/IP3/Getty Images / Getty Images)
His comments follow an open letter published by the Future of Live Institute and signed by billionaire Elon Musk, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and others calling for a moratorium on "giant A.I. experiments," citing potential risks to society.
Schmidt agrees there are legitimate concerns, opining that "things could be worse than people are saying."
He added that if industry can't agree on guardrails, governments would impose their own standards.