Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt thinks we won’t be able to meet our climate goals. At a recent AI+Energy Summit, Schmidt said he doesn’t believe we are organized enough to achieve big targets, like the U.S. reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. Instead, he thinks we should invest more in artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers, which he says could help solve the energy problem – but only if we are willing to make some trade-offs.
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AI's Rising Energy Demand
AI is growing quickly, resulting in a huge energy demand. According to Schmidt, data centers – the facilities that power AI – will need much more electricity in the coming years. These centers need a steady power supply and as AI systems get more advanced, the need for energy will keep increasing. Schmidt said that if we don't improve our energy infrastructure, the U.S. might run out of enough power for these demands within the next four years.
Schmidt admits that these energy-hungry AI systems could make it even harder to meet climate goals. But instead of slowing down AI growth to save energy, he thinks investing in AI could be the key to solving some of our biggest environmental challenges.
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Betting on AI Instead of Conservation
At the AI summit, Schmidt said bluntly: "We’re not going to hit the climate goals anyway because we’re not organized to do it." He explained that while there are ways to make data centers more efficient, like using better batteries and reducing power losses, those measures won’t be enough to keep up with AI’s fast growth.
Instead of scaling back, he believes we should push AI development to find solutions that traditional methods can’t provide.
Nevertheless, he says, “Because it’s a universal technology and because it’s the arrival of an alien intelligence, something we don’t understand, we may make mistakes concerning how it's used. But I can assure you that we’re not going to get there through conservation.”
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Nuclear Power and Rapid Infrastructure Development
Schmidt has also called for more nuclear power to support AI’s energy needs. He criticized decisions to shut down working nuclear plants in places like Germany and California, saying nuclear energy is important for providing the stable, constant power that AI needs.
Renewables like solar and wind are helpful, but Schmidt said their unreliability means they can't handle the basic power needs required for AI growth alone.
He also pointed out that the current rules and regulations make it hard to build new energy infrastructure fast enough. Schmidt said the long approval process for new power lines and nuclear plants in the U.S., which can take more than ten years, is a major problem.
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Other Controversial Stances
Schmidt is known for making controversial statements. During a recent talk at Stanford University, he suggested that if TikTok were banned in the U.S., students should use AI to create a copy of the app, even recommending that they "steal users and music" and hire lawyers if it became successful.
He also criticized Google's focus on work-life balance and remote work, saying it disadvantaged the company compared to more competitive AI startups like OpenAI.
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