Eric Schmidt

Opinion | Why the world needs the US and China to cut an AI safety deal next

16 May 2025 - 3:50AMvideocam

China’s ability to launch DeepSeek chatbot draws US panel’s scrutiny

7 Feb 2025 - 7:40AMvideocam

Nuclear weapons and poison pills: Washington, Beijing warily circle AI talks

Bilateral dialogue on automated weapons and artificial intelligence is expected to take place this spring, with parameters yet to be established.

28 Feb 2024 - 4:10AM

The rise – and plateau – of Snap Inc. billionaire Evan Spiegel

Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel was once one of the youngest billionaires in the world, but his net worth tanked in the past few years – so how did he get here?

14 Dec 2023 - 6:00AM

The world’s billionaires’ annual social calendar, revealed

From rubbing shoulders with Prince William at Ascot, to picking out million-dollar artworks at Frieze, the world’s wealthiest flock to a handful of events year round – so what are they?

27 Nov 2023 - 4:00AM

Eric Schmidt’s think tank urges moonshot chase to keep US ahead

The US needs to guard against the dangers of China’s technological rise and an ‘industrial espionage strategy with global reach’, according to a report by the former Alphabet chairman’s think tank.

22 Nov 2023 - 1:58PMvideocam

Eric Schmidt has leveraged his US$27 billion fortune to build a powerful influence machine in Washington. Photo: Bloomberg

Pentagon creates generative AI task force

‘We must consider the extent to which our adversaries will employ this technology and seek to disrupt our own use of AI-based solutions,’ says the leader of the US Defence Department’s new unit.

11 Aug 2023 - 6:03AMvideocam

Microsoft-backed AI start-up Inflection raises US$1.3b from Nvidia and others

Inflection AI, a start-up backed by several Silicon Valley heavyweights, said on Thursday it had raised US$1.3 billion from investors including Microsoft and Nvidia, amid a boom in the artificial intelligence sector.

30 Jun 2023 - 12:15PM

Opinion | AI technology is in dire need of a guiding philosophy

Former US diplomat Henry Kissinger and leading computer scientists among high-profile figures warning about potential pitfalls of artificial intelligence, including risk of a new military arms race.

30 May 2023 - 8:36PM

The popularity of tools such as ChatGPT has drawn attention to the risks and challenges of AI. Photo: Shutterstock

China technology

The View | Censorship in China could hold back its quest for AI supremacy

A few years ago, China appeared well placed to threaten the US’ technological lead, but the advent of large language models is a game-changer. New draft rules covering chatbots, on top of the existing censorship regime, will constrain the ability of China’s tech companies to develop generative AI.

25 May 2023 - 3:45PM

A recent assessment by internet trust tool NewsGuard found that OpenAI’s ChatGPT-3.5 generated far more false information in Chinese than it did in English. Image: Shutterstock

Science

China’s Mars rover finds signs of ‘recent’ water in sand dunes

Findings by Zhurong rover highlight new areas in warmer regions of Mars where conditions might be suitable for life to exist.

29 Apr 2023 - 3:18PMvideocam

Celebrity children

Where are the former US first kids in 2023? From the Trumps to the Obamas

From Donald Trump’s 5 kids and Barack and Michelle Obama’s daughters to George W. Bush’s twins, here’s what the former US presidents’ children have been up to in 2023 …

15 Apr 2023 - 1:00AM

United States

Ex-Google boss says AI research pause would ‘benefit’ China

More than 1,000 researchers have called for an artificial intelligence research pause of ‘at least six months over safety concerns.

7 Apr 2023 - 3:40PMvideocam

More than 1,000 researchers have signed a letter warning of the consequences of moving too quickly on AI research. Photo: Shutterstock

Australia

China ‘very capable of inventing a new future’ as US edge erodes, Aukus told

Australia, Britain and the United States must collaborate on quantum and hypersonic technology to compete with China, the Sydney Dialogue heard on Tuesday.

4 Apr 2023 - 2:02PM

Concept art shows US defence giant Lockheed Martin’s hypersonic Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW). The US Air Force recently announced it would no longer pursue the missile’s development. Photo: Lockheed Martin

What it really takes to join the world’s most exclusive private members’ clubs

To join a private members’ club takes more than just money: you have to bring connections, power and a mentality that screams success

22 Jan 2023 - 10:00AM

AI is rewriting the rules of creativity. Should it be stopped?

From pop music to painting, the rapid rise of artificial intanelligence and machine learning is transforming the way people create. But that’s not necessarily a good thing.

7 Dec 2022 - 10:54AM

Use AI to beat Chinese censors if Taiwan is attacked, think tank tells US

Exposing Chinese population to information beyond state propaganda would help to distract authorities from military moves, Virginia-based non-profit says in report.

27 Oct 2022 - 9:45PMvideocam

Disrupting China’s ability to control information could help to destabilise its society, a report from a US-based think tank says. Photo: AP

Singapore

‘Singapore’s back’: Milken summit, F1 race and other events draw global VIPs

Officials such as Singapore Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam among speakers at three-day business forum aimed at tackling global issues.

29 Sep 2022 - 8:35PM

Science

US ‘perilously close’ to losing AI, 5G war to China, report warns

Years between 2025 and 2030 to be critical, and the US must take action on three fronts or lose, first Special Competitive Studies Project report says

14 Sep 2022 - 1:24AMvideocam

Ukraine

Ex-Google CEO says Ukraine proves value of IT in war

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt says Ukraine has been a very effective proving ground for the use of contemporary information technology in war, from satellite dishes to smartphone apps.

13 Sep 2022 - 11:25AM

In this file photo taken May 2, 2022, Eric Schmidt speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California. Photo: AFP

Where is Rupert Murdoch’s ex and Ivanka Trump’s pal Wendi Deng now?

Rupert Murdoch finalising his divorce from Jerry Hall has left some wondering what happened to his third wife, Wendi Deng, whose divorce didn’t go as smoothly …

27 Aug 2022 - 7:00PM

What is Wendi Deng, billionaire Rupert Murdoch’s ex-wife, doing now? Photo: Shutterstock

Aid for US semiconductor industry puts billionaire-backed tech fund in focus

America’s Frontier Fund, supported by a former Google CEO, raises watchdogs’ concerns over how government investment will be steered to private companies under the Chips Act.

12 Aug 2022 - 2:36AMvideocam

Meet the 75-year-old propelling China’s AI ambitions forward

Andrew Chi-Chih Yao, one of AI’s most influential figures, has exerted a profound impact on the country’s technology pioneers, who have gone on to start multibillion-dollar start-ups.

25 Jul 2022 - 11:31AMvideocam

Where do billionaires go on holiday? From Jeff Bezos to Mark Zuckerberg

How Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple’s Tim Cook and Virgin Group’s Richard Branson spend summers on yachts and in luxury mansions

26 Jun 2022 - 3:00AM

Where do billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson and Tim Cook go on holiday? Photos: @zuck/Instagram, AP, Space Symposium, Reuters, @tim_cook/Twitter

China contest bill ‘critical’ to US national security: former officials

Senior members of former Democratic and Republican administrations call for quick passage of legislation to maintain hi-tech cutting edge.

2 Feb 2022 - 2:30PM

Senior national security figures from previous US administrations have called on Congress to act quickly on technology funding legislation. Photo: Reuters

Opinion | Apple and Tesla’s success in China shows benefits of Sino-US cooperation

While US policymakers are reeling from a Harvard report on China’s tech superiority, foreign corporations already know that Beijing’s top-down, long-term planning works. US companies like Apple and Tesla see working with China as a win-win – perhaps a similar approach is needed at a national level.

28 Jan 2022 - 1:30AMvideocam