'Holy crap. The end of me: ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt on AI doing coding jobs (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt expressed his astonishment at the rapid advancements in AI, specifically its ability to autonomously generate complete software programs. Speaking at a Harvard forum, he remarked, "Holy crap. The end of me," reflecting on his 55 years in programming and recognizing a pivotal moment in AI's evolution—from a supportive tool to a potential replacement for skilled labor. Schmidt disclosed that AI already performs 10 to 20 percent of programming tasks at leading research labs and anticipates that this number will surge. He underlined the significance of AI's capacity to automate broader business operations, revealing that industries could save billions by streamlining processes such as billing, accounting, and inventory management. Looking to the future, Schmidt warned that artificial general intelligence (AGI) could emerge within the next three to five years, facilitated by AI's ability for "recursive self-improvement" where systems learn autonomously without human intervention. He emphasized the necessity of maintaining human oversight as AI's capabilities evolve, cautioning against surpassing ethical boundaries. Schmidt posits that while the economic ramifications of AI are underappreciated by Wall Street, the technology holds transformative potential not just in programming, but across various sectors, promising significant advancements in business and scientific discovery.