Ex-Google higher-up: AI may be used by terrorist

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt expressed concerns about AI being misused in a “Bin Laden scenario” by rogue states.

In an interview with the BBC, Schmidt, who was Google’s CEO from 2001 to 2017, urged governments to monitor AI development but warned against strict regulations.

“Think about North Korea, or Iran, or even Russia, who have some evil goal,” Schmidt said. “This technology is fast enough for them to adopt that they could misuse it and do real harm.”

“I’m always worried about the ‘Osama Bin Laden’ scenario, where you have some truly evil person who takes over some aspect of our modern life and uses it to harm innocent people,” he continues.

Schmidt also supported the US decision to limit the export of advanced computer chips needed for powerful AI systems.

“The truth is that AI and the future is largely going to be built by private companies,” he said. “It’s really important that governments understand what we’re doing and keep their eye on us.”

Though, Taiwan is not concerned about President Trump’s proposed tariffs on Taiwan-made computer chips, calling it a “win-win” situation. The tariffs could increase costs for semiconductors, computer chips, and pharmaceuticals, affecting products like smartphones and laptops.

Taiwan is home to TSMC, the world’s largest chipmaker, which supplies major companies like Apple and Nvidia. Trump has criticized the Biden administration’s approach of subsidizing U.S. chip manufacturers and instead proposes using tariffs to encourage domestic production.