Synopsis: In this special episode, The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar speaks with Mr Eric Schmidt, the former Google chairman who started the philanthropic initiative Schmidt Futures.

Mr Schmidt, 67, was chief executive of Google (2001-11) and executive chairman of the firm and its successor Alphabet (2011-17). The billionaire now runs Schmidt Futures, a New York-based philanthropic organisation that he co-founded with his wife in 2017 with the ambitious idea of building "a network of the sharpest minds on earth to solve hard problems in science and society".

He was in Singapore last week for his foundation's Asia-focused initiative, which included the S. Rajaratnam Endowment Dialogue jointly presented by his foundation, Temasek Foundation, the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies and The Straits Times.

Highlights (click/tap above):

01:08 Why the US should win the technology rivalry with China

02:43 Schmidt on how the US needs to lead in semi conductors, artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, and why Singapore is the perfect partner because of its knowledge economy

05:08 Ensuring artificial intelligence is not abused, or used for evil

06:50 Schmidt Futures funding programmes to resolve problems in AI now, and why China and the West are not ready to debate uncomfortable issues

Produced by: Bhagyashree Garekar (bhagya@sph.com.sg) & ST Video

Edited by: ST Video 

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