Sundar Pichai recently shared his views on the usage of AI. During the latest BBC podcast episode, the Google CEO spoke at length on the serious concerns centering AI usage if done indiscriminately. He warned that artificial intelligence has its limitations. Thus, a complete reliance on the outputs delivered by AI bots would be a foolhardy decision.
Another important point Pichai made regarding the concerns over AI usage was the possibility of the bubble collapse. The Google chief executive acknowledged that there have been cases of overshooting when it came to investments made in AI.
Nevertheless, citing the example of the Internet and the overwhelming funding it received, Pichai stated that no one wondered about whether the Internet was “profound” or if it does “drive a lot of impact.” He foresees AI to follow a similar route to that of the Internet, which went through a phase of the dotcom bust.
Later in the episode, the Google CEO stated that excess investments in AI technology with the ever-increasing hype surrounding it may result in a bubble burst, and no company would be insulated from the investment bubble collapse.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai prioritizes strict use of AI
On November 18, the BBC released their latest podcast episode as part of their Business Daily series. The new episode features a special interview of Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Presenter and BBC’s Economics Editor Faisal Islam chose to focus his queries on the potential of AI becoming a unique tool that would shape the future.
In this context, Islam asked Pichai whether AI is accurate and truthful with the information it provides. To this, Pichai shared the shortcomings of AI while also acknowledging their prowess when it comes to obtaining and distilling data from the Google search.
Pichai answered, “There are moments these AI models have a fundamental technology by which they are predicting what’s next, and they are prone to errors…The current state-of-the-art AI technology is prone to some errors.”
When speaking about the precautions one must keep in mind while using AI models, the Google CEO explained, “So you have to learn to use these tools for what they are good at, and not blindly trust everything they say.”
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What does Sundar Pichai’s caution suggest in the AI age?
In a snippet from the BBC podcast uploaded on YouTube, Google CEO Sundar Pichai asserted, “Truth matters. Journalism matters.” This speaks volumes of a time when excitement surrounding AI technology is going through the roof.
Although Pichai describes this excitement as “rational” in the podcast episode, the surge in demands for AI has rendered companies like Google unable to cater to all of them at once. In the words of the chief executive, Google is “constrained in our ability to serve that demand.”
Pichai labels the phenomenon of investments being pooled in great numbers into the research and development of AI tools as an “irrationality.” Considering it as part of the process in the same manner as the advent of the Internet, the chief executive does clarify that AI holds tremendous potential. It is how one intends to use it that will decide whether AI is a boon or a bane.
