Eric Schmidt warns AI is about to escape human control
AI is already a self-developing, replicating, optimising technology, now all it needs is the right instruction to set itself free, and that will cause new problems ...
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2025) 'Eric Schmidt warns AI is about to escape human control', 311 Institute, 7 May. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/eric-schmidt-warns-ai-is-about-to-escape-human-control/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Artificial Intelligence (AI) keeps getting smarter — and soon, warns former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, it won't take orders from us anymore. During a talk at a recent summit co-hosted by Schmidt's think tank, the Special Competitive Studies Project, the former Google head predicted that within "three to five years," researchers will crack the case on so-called Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), or human-level AI.
After that, Schmidt suggested, all bets are off.
Once AI begins to self-improve, which it already has and is, and learn how to plan, the tech policy mogul said, it essentially won't "have to listen to us anymore." At that stage, he continued, AI will not only be smarter than humans but will also reach what is known as Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI), which occurs when AI becomes smarter than all humans put together.
The Future of AI, by Keynote Matthew Griffin
Per the "San Francisco consensus," a joking term Schmidt said he uses to refer to things that are only believed by people who live in the city by the bay, ASI will occur "within six years, just based on scaling."
If that sounds incomprehensible, you're not alone.
"This path is not understood in our society," Schmidt said. "There's no language for what happens with the arrival of this... that's why it's under-hyped."
Unlike the AI doomer cohort, who not only believe that ASI is rapidly approaching but are also bent on stopping it, the ex-Google CEO seemed very stoic when discussing the potential arrival of AI that is smarter than organic humans could ever be.
"People do not understand what happens when you have intelligence at this level, which is largely free," Schmidt claimed.
That conceit, it's worth noting, doesn't make necessarily hold up. Whoever reaches AGI first will likely guard it so strongly that Fort Knox will look like a garden gate — and until and unless an ASI frees itself from the shackles of human control entirely and decides to make itself beneficial to humans, it will not be some sort of utopian virtual assistant.
As Schmidt jokingly referenced, the six-year ASI timeline could well be a Silicon Valley mirage. Still, it's freaky to imagine AI not only reaching human-level intelligence but surpassing it anytime soon — and to hear it discussed so beatifically.
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AI is already a self-developing, replicating, optimising technology, now all it needs is the right instruction to set itself free, and that will cause new problems ...
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- talk at a recent summit youtu.be
- Among the ai doomsayers newyorker.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 7 May 2025. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2025). Eric Schmidt warns AI is about to escape human control. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/eric-schmidt-warns-ai-is-about-to-escape-human-control/
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