Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt: Ignore AI's Environmental Impact Because Climate Goals Were Always Unrealistic

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has called for a full-scale investment in AI infrastructure, even as the energy-intensive nature of AI development threatens to undermine global climate goals. Saying the quiet part out loud, Schmidt admitted Silicon Valley’s climate goals were always completely unrealistic, stating: “We’re not going to hit the climate goals anyway because we’re not organized to do it.”

Business Insider reports that in a recent AI summit held in Washington DC, Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, made a controversial statement regarding the future of artificial intelligence and its potential impact on the environment.

Schmidt, who served as Google’s CEO from 2001 to 2011 and previously chaired the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence while also being a noted Clinton lackey and progressive advocate, urged the audience to fully invest in AI infrastructure, despite the massive energy consumption required by AI data centers.

The rapid growth of AI has led to a significant increase in spending on data centers, which provide the computational power necessary for training and running AI models. According to a report by McKinsey, data centers are expected to consume 35 gigawatts of power annually by 2030, a substantial increase from the 17 gigawatts consumed last year.

This surge in energy consumption poses a serious threat to the Biden administration’s targets of achieving a carbon-neutral power sector by 2035 and a net-zero US economy by 2050.

Despite the environmental concerns, Schmidt argued that the potential benefits of AI outweigh the risks. He acknowledged that there are ways to mitigate the negative effects of AI on the environment, such as using better batteries and power lines to build data centers.

However, he believes that the rapid growth of AI will eventually outpace these preventive measures. “All of that will be swamped by the enormous needs of this new technology,” Schmidt stated. “Because it’s a universal technology, and because it’s the arrival of an alien intelligence… we may make mistakes with respect to how it’s used, but I can assure you that we’re not going to get there through conservation.”

When pressed by presenters on whether it is possible to meet AI energy needs without disregarding conservation goals, Schmidt expressed his doubts about the feasibility of achieving the current climate targets.

“We’re not going to hit the climate goals anyway because we’re not organized to do it,” he said. Instead, Schmidt suggested that we should “bet on AI solving the problem” rather than “constraining it and having the problem.”

Schmidt’s comments have sparked a debate within the tech industry and among environmentalists. Some argue that the potential benefits of AI, such as its ability to optimize energy systems and develop new clean technologies, justify the increased energy consumption. Others, however, warn that prioritizing AI development over environmental concerns could have disastrous consequences for the planet.

In addition to his advocacy for AI development, Schmidt has also been involved in the defense industry. In 2022, he founded White Stork, a defense company that develops AI-powered drones. During a lecture at Stanford University in April, Schmidt referred to himself as an “arms dealer” due to the company’s involvement in the war in Ukraine. He also mentioned that White Stork would “use AI in complicated, powerful ways for these essentially robotic wars.”