- Eric Schmidt warned that anyone, from artists to doctors, who doesn't embrace AI will be left behind.
- The former Google CEO recently used AI to get up to speed quickly on a rocket company he bought.
- Schmidt warned that the pace of change could catch many off guard.
Eric Schmidt thinks every worker, from CEOs to artists, needs to get to grips with AI — or risk being left behind.
The former Google CEO argued in a recent TED interview that the speed of AI progress was forcing a fundamental shift in every job, from the arts to business to science.
"Each and every one of you has a reason to use this technology," Schmidt said, referring to AI.
"If you're an artist, a teacher, a physician, a businessperson, a technical person, if you're not using this technology, you're not going to be relevant compared to your peer groups and your competitors and the people who want to be successful. Adopt it, and adopt it fast."
Schmidt, who ran Google from 2001 to 2011, says AI tools let anyone get up to speed in almost any field. He pointed to his recent decision to buy a rocket company despite knowing little about aerospace.
"It's an area that I'm not an expert in, and I want to be an expert, so I'm using deep research," Schmidt said, who was named CEO at Relativity Space in March, a California rocket startup vying to compete with SpaceX.
He said this kind of rapid learning was just the beginning. Schmidt pointed to studies that estimate AI could drive a "30% increase in productivity" annually — a jump so dramatic that "economists have no models for what that kind of increase looks like."
While predicting that entire industries could be disrupted as AI simplifies or automates work, some professions will evolve rather than disappear in his view.
"Do you really think that we're going to get rid of lawyers? No, they're just going to have more sophisticated lawsuits," Schmidt said.
'Marathon, not a sprint'
The pace of change may catch many off guard: "As this stuff happens quicker, you will forget what was true two years ago or three years ago. That's the key thing. So my advice to you all is ride the wave, but ride it every day."
When asked if he had any advice for those feeling overwhelmed by the pace of change, Schmidt, who now advises governments and startups on tech strategy, offered some perspective from his own experience.
"One thing to remember is that this is a marathon, not a sprint," he said. "Every day you get up, and you just keep going."
At the AI summit in Paris in February, Schmidt criticised Europe's AI laws as too strict but insisted that regulation was essential. "It's really important that governments understand what we're doing and keep their eye on us," he told BBC News.
He's made similar warnings before, calling in December for "meaningful control" over military AI.
