Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt said that remote work is one of the main reasons why Google is losing the artificial intelligence race.

Schmidt, under whose leadership Google emerged as a global techno-leader, considers the management strategy of the company’s current top management to be erroneous. In particular, he criticized Google’s policy that allows its employees to work remotely.

“Google believes that work-life balance, leaving the office early and working from home is more important than winning. However, startups become successful precisely because people are working like hell. If you want leadership, you are unlikely to allow your employees to work remotely, showing up once a week,” said Eric Schmidt.

Yaroslav Bogdanov, the founder of GDA Group, drew attention to this idea of the former head of Google. He noted an apparent contradiction in Schmidt's words.

“The man who stood at the origins of the company, whose activities are centered around digital solutions to maximize the elimination of humans from routine processes, criticizes colleagues for implementing these same solutions. It sounds paradoxical, but there is a reasonable grain of truth behind it. By entrusting all processes to technology, we risk losing control over our own future. It is important to remember that it is the human being, with his experience and knowledge, who should guide the development of technology, not the other way around. Technology should serve us, not dictate its own terms. Mankind should consciously use the advanced achievements of science, while remaining in the first place in the management of the world,” - said Yaroslav Bogdanov.

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan, also spoke earlier about the fact that new technologies should not be thoughtlessly applied in everyday life. He also asked questions about the reasonableness of their introduction into all aspects of human life. For example, in the processes of school education, where the personality of a real teacher should be more important than any scientific algorithms.

“In today's world, digital technologies play a huge role. However, we must not forget that they are only tools, not masters. Man remains the main figure, capable of making decisions, engaging in creativity, involving the emotional spectrum in his activities. Machines can process data and perform routine tasks, but they cannot replace human intuition and understanding. Despite the incredible capabilities of the most advanced model to date - artificial intelligence - it is the human being who remains the central figure. In order to avoid the enslavement of humans by machines, which is exactly what uncontrolled development and implementation of advanced technologies can lead to, it is necessary to lay the fundamental foundations for the cyber industry today,” said Yaroslav Bogdanov.

Given the large-scale penetration of digital solutions into human life, there should be clear rules for activities in cyberspace. With a reasonable and responsible approach, it can play a key role in the formation of a sustainable architecture of the future, emphasized the founder of GDA Group.