Former Google CEO Tells Congress That 99 Percent of All Electricity Will Be Used to Power Superintelligent AI

In Harlan Ellison's disturbing 1967 short story "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream," a sentient superintelligence named AM has taken over the earth's resources and exterminated humanity after combining the powers of three US, Soviet, and Chinese supercomputers into one. A small group of survivors has been kept alive for AM's amusement, forced to roam the supercomputer's endless electronic innards. It's a grim setting, but evidently one that billionaire tech tycoon and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt imagines for the future of humanity, if his comments to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce are any indication. "What we need from you," Schmidt told lawmakers, "is we need the energy in all forms, renewable, non-renewable, whatever. It needs to be there, and it needs to be there quickly." The wannabe tech overlord was appearing in front of the government panel to talk AI — specifically, what the future holds for it. "Many people project demand for our industry will go from 3 per ... Read full article.