In a startling revelation that signals a seismic shift in the tech world, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt declared his own decades of programming expertise obsolete after witnessing an artificial intelligence system autonomously create an entire software program. The tech veteran described this as a "profound" moment heralding the end of traditional coding careers.
"Holy Crap. The End of Me": A Veteran Programmer's Reaction
Speaking at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at Harvard University earlier this month, Schmidt's reaction was visceral. "Holy crap. The end of me," he stated, reflecting on the AI demonstration. Having programmed for 55 years, he found the experience deeply significant. "To see something start and end in front of your own life is really profound," Schmidt told the audience during his discussion with Professor Graham Allison.
He underscored AI's rapid evolution from a mere assistant to a potential replacement for skilled programmers. Schmidt revealed that at top AI labs like OpenAI and Anthropic, AI systems are already handling 10 to 20 percent of programming work. He warned that this percentage is set to increase at a very rapid pace, fundamentally altering the software development landscape.
The Underhyped Revolution: AI's True Economic Potential
Despite the dramatic implications for coders, Schmidt argues that artificial intelligence is currently underhyped, not overhyped. He believes its real economic power lies beyond coding, in the automation of core corporate functions.
The true transformation is occurring inside companies, where AI is taking over processes like billing, accounting, product design, delivery, and inventory management. These routine operations represent billions in corporate expenditure. Automating them could reshape business fundamentals. "If anything, it's under-hyped because you are fundamentally automating businesses," Schmidt emphasized. "There's an awful lot there—it's extraordinary."
AGI on the Horizon: A Warning and a Call for Oversight
Schmidt also made a bold prediction about the arrival of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)—systems that match the intelligence of the brightest human minds in fields like mathematics, physics, and art. He forecasts AGI could emerge within the next three to five years, by 2029.
This accelerated timeline is fueled by "recursive self-improvement," where AI systems learn and enhance their own capabilities without human intervention. "The computers are now doing self-improvement. They're learning how to plan, and they don't have to listen to us anymore," he cautioned at a separate event.
However, Schmidt strongly advocates for human oversight as AI approaches these powerful capabilities. "Somebody's going to have to raise their hand and say, 'We just went too far,'" he stated. He views the preservation of human agency and freedom as a paramount duty. The ex-Google executive also pointed out that Wall Street is underestimating AI's potential to drive breakthroughs in medicine, climate science, and engineering through accelerated automation and discovery.
