Eric Schmidt plans to give A.I. researchers $125 million to tackle ‘hard problems’

17 février 2022 Intelligence Artificielle
Eric Schmidt plans to give A.I. researchers $125 million to tackle ‘hard problems’
  • The funding will aim to support research into “hard problems” in AI, including bias and safety.
  • It will be co-chaired by Schmidt, and James Manyika, Google’s new head of technology and society.
  • Payouts are set to be made to individual academics over the next five years.

Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, is planning to invest $125 million into artificial intelligence research through his philanthropic Schmidt Futures venture.

The funding, set to be administered through an initiative dubbed AI2050, will aim to support academics working on “hard problems” in AI.

“AI will cause us to rethink what it means to be human,” Schmidt said in a statement Wednesday. “As we chart a path forward to a future with AI, we need to prepare for the unintended consequences that might come along with doing so.”

Schmidt, who has warned of the dangers of AI before, highlighted how in the early days of the internet no one expected social media platforms to disrupt elections and influence our lives, opinions and actions to the extent that they do now.

“Lessons like these make it even more urgent to be prepared moving forward,” he said.

“Artificial intelligence can be a massive force for good in society, but now is the time to ensure that the AI we build has human interests at its core.”

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