Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt believes AI should be in the same category as nuclear weapons and regulated by similar treaties.

AI is poised to be one of the most revolutionary technologies in mankind’s history. As such, viewpoints about what changes AI will bring are all over the map, with some believing AI will help save mankind and others believing it represents the single biggest existential threat to its survival.

Schmidt was speaking at the Aspen Security Forum when he discussed his role at Google and the developments that were happening 20 years ago, saying he was very “naive about the impact of what we were doing.”

After acknowledging how powerful information can be, he then goes on to describe the issues with creating a trust/no trust equilibrium with technologies like AI. During the Cold War, for example, nations developed a “no surprise” rule, wherein the world’s powers would notify each other if they were conducting a missile test. This eliminated the risk of a misunderstanding triggering World War III.

Schmidt is concerned that there is no such system in place for how AI is developed or used, leading to the very real possibility of an escalation in the harmful use of AI.

“We don’t have anyone working on that, and yet AI is that powerful,” Schmidt concluded.