Sundar Pichai CEO of Google: AI prone to errors

“The current state of the art AI technology is prone to some errors… you have to learn to use these tools for what they are good at, and not blindly trust everything they say.”

Faisal Islam speaks to Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Google and its holding company Alphabet, about artificial intelligence and its impact on how we live and work.

He tells me that we are at an extraordinary moment in technology, with the potential for enormous benefits but also risks. AI should not be blindly trusted, he says, as it is still prone to errors. And it will disrupt society through its impact on jobs, but also on the climate, thanks to its “immense” energy needs. Trillions are being invested in artificial intelligence, raising fears it could create a bubble reminiscent of the dotcom boom in the 1990s. If it were to burst, Sundar Pichai warns no company, not even his, would be immune.

Thank you to Faisal Islam and Priya Patel for their help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: Faisal Islam Producers: Lucy Sheppard and Priya Patel Editor: Justine Lang

(Image: Sundar Pichai. Credit: CAMILLE COHEN/AFP via Getty Images)