Speaking at the United Nations Future Summit on Saturday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai described AI as “the most transformative technology ever” and announced new funding for AI education and training globally.
Pichai pointed to four broad opportunities he sees for AI and sustainable development: helping people access information in their native language, accelerating scientific discovery, warning about and tracking climate disasters, and spurring economic development.
Pichai acknowledged that AI poses risks, including deepfakes, but did not mention AI’s impact on climate.
He added that he wants to avoid a global “AI divide,” and that Google is creating a $120 million Global AI Opportunity Fund that will work with local nonprofits and NGOs to “provide AI education and training in communities around the world.”
On the same topic, Pichai called for “smart product regulation that mitigates harm and resists national protectionist impulses,” otherwise he predicted regulation “could widen the AI gap and limit the benefits of AI.”
