During two speaking engagements, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt guaranteed that his company has its users' data safe from the prying eyes of U.S. intelligence agencies and that we can expect robots to be a big part of our lives in the future.
At the South by Southwest Interactive festival (SXSW) on Friday, Schmidt disclosed that Google has completed its efforts to protect the data of its users. He suggested that tougher data encryption has been implemented as protection against possible intrusion from governments and other parties, but the executive did not elaborate how the company did it.
"We were attacked by the Chinese in 2010 and the NSA in 2013. We are pretty sure the information that is inside of Google right now is safe from prying eyes, especially the government. We think your data is very safe," said Schmidt who was joined on stage by Jared Cohen, Google Ideas Director, in a discussion about privacy and how it is like in this time of fast-evolving technologies.
However, Schmidt pointed out that Google is still subject to existing laws in the U.S.such as specific laws that aim to protect the country against terrorist attacks. He also reminded everyone that once a chunk of information has been posted online, it will be there.
"Information is very powerful. It can be used and misused, and you have to respect that," he said.
The panel also touched on information leakers and Schmidt said he was uncertain about the real motives of the people who decide to squeal information.
In a separate conference in Santa Monica, California, Thursday, the Google boss and author of a book titled "The New Digital Age," which dissected how the Internet and technologies shape society, also revealed that they are looking into automation options that will help humans with repetitive tasks.
"We're experimenting with what automation will lead to. Robots will become omnipresent in our lives in a good way," said Schmidt.
Before the end of 2013, the search engine firm made headlines as it tapped former chief of Android Andy Rubin to lead its efforts in the field of robotics. It also poured in a good amount of money to purchase robotics firms such as Boston Dynamics.
"The biggest thing will be artificial intelligence. Technology is evolving from asking a question to making a relevant recommendation. It will figure out things you care about and make recommendations. That's possible with today's technology," Schmidt said.
Just a wild thought. Talking at two different conferences and talking about two different things, what if there is a possible intersection where data protection against government snooping and hacking from other parties can be thwarted using artificial intelligence, and maybe - robots.
