| What happened: Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is the latest to join a growing chorus of prominent people concerned about the risks of AI. Details: Speaking at The WSJ's CEO Council Summit, Schmidt said he believes AI represents an "existential risk" that could cause harm to many people. In the future, AI systems could uncover cyber vulnerabilities and new areas of biology, he said. "When that happens, we want to be ready to know how to make sure these things are not misused by evil people," according to the executive. Dig deeper: Schmidt, Google's CEO from 2001 to 2011 and a former chair of the National Security Commission on AI, did not propose a clear solution for regulating AI, which he said remains a "broader question for society." He was also doubtful that the U.S. would establish its own AI-specific regulator. The big picture: In March, industry leaders and researchers, including Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak, signed a letter urging a six-month pause in advanced AI development to review safety and ethics. Other leaders who have recently advocated caution with AI include "Godfather of AI" Geoffrey Hinton, AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio, and Stability AI CEO Emad Mostaque, who argued that the AI labs themselves say the technology could pose an existential threat. What the numbers say: According to a Monmouth University Poll, a majority or 55% of Americans are now at least somewhat worried that AI machines could one day pose a threat to human existence. 73% believe autonomous machines would harm jobs and the economy, with 56% expressing concerns about the negative impact on quality of life.
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