Eric Schmidt on Artificial Intelligence
2026
In this chapter, David Rubenstein interviews former Google CEO Eric Schmidt on AI. Schmidt recounts his early leadership at Google, helming its transition from an ambitious startup to a business producing tools used daily by billions. Schmidt then turns to AI, the subject of Genesis, a book he co-authored with Henry Kissinger. Schmidt argues the necessity of AI expansion in a new AI race with China and also outlines the numerous and serious society-wide challenges forced by AI. Rubenstein uses Kissinger’s involvement in the book as an anchor for himself and the audience for a lay understanding of the potential and risks of the new technology. Schmidt ultimately argues in favor of AI advancement alongside governmental oversight and regulation.