Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has warned that the development of artificial intelligence (AI) could lead to a global conflict, the scale of which is not unlike the impact of nuclear weapons.
Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum on July 22, Schmidt argued that world powers are simply unwilling to negotiate how to manage the progress of AI. This, in turn, could further weaken trust between two superpowers like the U.S. and China, which could even come into conflict.
Citing the power of information technology, he went on to say that geopolitical powers such as China and the U.S. need to start discussing and making treaties on the regulation of AI.
The world’s major powers should sign an agreement on the use of AI technology
However, he said, it is currently unclear how such a negotiation would proceed, as both diplomatic sides would need to bring in individuals with deep technical knowledge of AI and the potential future of this technology.
“Let us say we want to talk to China about some kind of treaty on AI surprises. Very reasonable. How would we do that? Who in the U.S. government would work with us? And it’s even worse on the Chinese side. Who are we going to call? We are not ready for the negotiations we need,” Schmidt argues.
With geopolitical paranoia on the rise around the world, he suspects the situation is comparable to the famous Cold War nuclear arms race.
“In the 1950s and 1960s, we created a world where there were no surprises when it came to nuclear tests, and eventually they were banned. When somebody launches a missile, whether it’s for testing or whatever, they inform everybody about it. Everyone then uses their missile defense system to track them,” he further explained.