AI is 'biggest shift of our lifetimes' says Google boss

Google CEO Sundar Pichai is set to declare artificial intelligence (AI) the “biggest platform shift of our lifetimes”, calling it an accelerator of human ingenuity at a global AI summit in Paris on Monday.

"We're still in the early days of AI, and yet we know it will be the biggest technological shift we have ever seen," Pichai is expected to say, according to excerpts of his speech obtained by AFP.

Pichai will highlight AI’s growing real-world applications, including wildfire detection through satellite imagery and cancer diagnosis and treatment in partnership with Paris' Institut Curie.

Google’s DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis also emphasized AI’s potential at an event on Sunday, calling it a game-changer in material science, mathematics, and nuclear fusion research. "There is almost no area of science that won’t benefit from these AI tools," Hassabis said.

$75 billion AI investment

Google has pledged $75 billion in capital investments this year, with the majority allocated to AI research and infrastructure.

Pichai is also expected to stress the importance of bridging the digital divide, arguing that AI must be accessible to all rather than exacerbating technological inequalities.

"With AI, we have the chance to democratize access to cutting-edge technology from the start, ensuring the digital divide does not become an AI divide," he will say.

AI’s future: challenges and opportunities

While concerns about AI’s impact persist, Pichai will urge leaders to focus on its potential for positive change rather than fear-driven resistance.

"Every generation worries that new technology will make life worse for the next," his speech reads. "Yet history shows us it's almost always the opposite."

He will conclude by calling AI a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to improve lives at an unprecedented scale.