Eric Schmidt warns of AI's potential for harm and misuse.

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has warned that artificial intelligence (AI) could be used to kill "many, many, many, many people" if it falls into the wrong hands. Schmidt, who recently chaired the US National Security Commission on AI, said that AI presents an "existential risk" for humanity and could be "misused by evil people" when it becomes more advanced. He also highlighted AI's ability to identify software vulnerabilities for hackers and the tech's inevitable hunting down of new biological pathways, which could lead to the creation of fearsome new bioweapons. Schmidt's comments join a raucous debate across Silicon Valley over the moral questions and mortal dangers posed by AI.