Latest news with #Moonshots
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
The former Google CEO who gave you notifications says it's time to log off if you want to be productive
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has warned that constant phone use is damaging our ability to think and work with depth. Speaking on the Moonshots podcast, Schmidt said researchers can't focus with notifications constantly interrupting them. He criticised the tech industry's push to monetise every moment of attention, and dismissed digital wellness apps as distractions in disguise. While app makers pushed back, experts and studies supported his argument that digital interruptions are taking a real toll on concentration, rest, and mental clarity. Disclaimer Statement: This content is authored by a 3rd party. The views expressed here are that of the respective authors/ entities and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). ET does not guarantee, vouch for or endorse any of its contents nor is responsible for them in any manner whatsoever. Please take all steps necessary to ascertain that any information and content provided is correct, updated, and verified. ET hereby disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied, relating to the report and any content therein. More
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Google's ex-CEO has an advice for those trying focus at work: Meditation apps don't work, turn off your …
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has a straightforward message for young workers struggling to concentrate or unwind: ditch the digital distractions entirely. Speaking on the Moonshots podcast, Schmidt said researchers "can't think deeply" with constant phone notifications and dismissed meditation apps as counterproductive to genuine relaxation. Schmidt, who led Google for a decade during its explosive growth, observed that 20-something researchers he works with have found a definitive solution to maintaining focus. "They turn off their phone," he stated, according to Business Insider. "You can't think deeply as a researcher with this thing buzzing." Industry designed to hijack your attention, former Google chief warns The tech veteran acknowledged his industry's role in creating the attention crisis plaguing modern workers. Schmidt explained that technology companies have systematically worked to "monetize your attention" through advertising, notifications, and entertainment designed to capture "all of your waking hours." This constant stimulation runs "completely antithetical to the way humans traditionally work with respect to long thoughtful examination of principles," Schmidt noted. Research supports his concerns, with attention researcher Gloria Mark finding that average computer screen focus time has plummeted from 2.5 minutes two decades ago to just 47 seconds today. Schmidt says that digital wellness apps miss the mark Schmidt particularly criticized meditation apps that promise to help users relax while keeping them glued to their devices. "My favorite are these digital apps that make you relax," he said. "The correct thing to do to relax is to turn off your phone, right? And then relax in a traditional way." However, meditation app companies pushed back against Schmidt's assessment. A Calm spokesperson told Business Insider that "not all screen time is created equal," while Headspace's chief clinical officer Jenna Glover argued that telling young people to simply turn off phones "isn't realistic or helpful." AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
India Today
a day ago
- Health
- India Today
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt admits tech kills focus, turning off your phone is the only fix
Technology is rapidly evolving, and now it's easier than ever to reach out to people. But in all this hustle of social media and constant notifications, tech is definitely taking a toll on mental health and making it harder for people to focus. The best way to deal with this problem? According to former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, you can regain focus by simply turning off your phone. Yes, the same man who helped build one of the most influential tech companies and who even launched Android which is now powering billions of buzzing devices—is now saying that these very devices are impacting our ability to focus and think on the Moonshots podcast, Schmidt discussed the impact of constant digital noise, especially on young people trying to do meaningful work. 'I work with a lot of 20-somethings in research,' he said. 'One of the questions I had was, how do they do research in the presence of all these stimulations? I can answer the question definitively: they turn off their phone.'Schmidt pointed to the role of advanced tech in this rising attention crisis. 'We've essentially tried to monetise all of your waking hours,' he said. 'Ads, entertainment, subscriptions—it's all competing for your attention, and that's completely at odds with how humans are wired to think.' His comments definitely strike a chord, especially coming from someone who was once leading Google, the very company that has so many products built around capturing and keeping user attention. But Schmidt didn't shy away from the irony. 'You can't think deeply as a researcher with this thing buzzing,' he said, referring to the phone. 'Even these apps that are supposed to help you relax, just turn the phone off. That's how humans have relaxed for 70,000 years.'And this isn't the first time we have been warned about the red flags of digital distraction. Schmidt's comments echo broader growing concerns among researchers and psychologists. Dr Gloria Mark, a leading attention researcher, found in her study that the average attention span on a screen has plummeted from 2.5 minutes two decades ago to just 47 seconds today. The consequences are wide-ranging including fragmented thinking, poor retention, and increased Kwik who is known as the brain coach, author of Limitless, points out that the problem with digital distraction isn't just forgetfulness. It is the divided attention. 'They blame their retention, but it's really more their attention,' he told Forbes. 'Every ring, ping, and notification is driving us to distraction. And we wonder why we can't remember things in meetings or with our family.'A separate study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) linked digital distractions to reduced satisfaction and perceived learning. The study found that younger users, and those disengaged from live learning environments, were particularly vulnerable. Frequent behaviours like checking the time, boredom scrolling, or sending instant messages were all predictors of higher distraction Schmidt emphasises turning off the phone, he also offers a different approach of keeping the tech and focus together. He suggests that people can continue using technology, but to focus they need to strip themselves away from the distracting bits. He shared his own example where he noted how he used Google's Gemini AI to brainstorm for six hours straight during a flight and this was possible due to no interruptions, no ads, no social media. He suggests that turning off technology might not be the only solution, people can still use it effectively, as long as they keep away from the distractions.- Ends
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business Insider
Google's former CEO has some simple advice if you're trying to focus at work or relax: 'Turn off your phone'
Eric Schmidt knows that focusing can feel impossible when notifications keep popping up. The former CEO of Google helped usher in a new age of the internet, which brought with it attention-seeking features like advertising and notifications. Today, Schmidt sees that deep focus is impossible when distracted by technology. "I've been work I work with a lot of 20-somethings in research and one of the questions I had is, how do they do research in the presence of all of these stimulations?" he said on the Moonshots podcast. "I can answer the question definitively," Schmidt said. "They turn off their phone." "You can't think deeply as a researcher with this thing buzzing," he added. For ten years, Schmidt served as CEO of a company that not only built the world's most popular search engine but also shipped Android, which, like any operating system today, dispatches notifications. He acknowledged his role in the industry, saying that tech has long pushed to "monetize your attention." "We've essentially tried to monetize all of your waking hours with something, some form of ads, some form of entertainment, some form of subscription that is completely antithetical to the way humans traditionally work with respect to long thoughtful examination of principles," Schmidt said. Research suggests that our attention spans are declining — partially due to tech. According to attention researcher psychologist Gloria Mark, the average attention span on a computer screen is just 47 seconds. Two decades ago, it was 2.5 minutes. Schmidt also said that notifications and commoditized attention has challenged relaxation. "My favorite are these digital apps that make you relax," he said. "The correct thing to do to relax is to turn off your phone, right? And then relax in a traditional way for, you know, 70,000 human years of existence." Schmidt declined to comment further on the topic when reached by Business Insider. Meditation app makers pushed back on Schmidt's remarks. "Not all screen time is created equal," a spokesperson for Calm told BI. "Telling young people to simply 'turn off their phone' isn't realistic or helpful," said Headspace's chief clinical officer, Jenna Glover. "True digital wellness isn't about going backwards 70,000 years, it's about moving forward with intention."
Economic Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt warns of AI superintelligence outpacing Earth's energy limits: 'Chips will outrun power needs'
Bloomberg Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has issued a stark warning: the real limit to AI's growth isn't technology—it's electricity. As companies chase artificial general intelligence, their energy demands are skyrocketing. As the world marvels at the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence—writing code, diagnosing illnesses, even composing symphonies—an unexpected crisis is taking shape behind the scenes. The real limit to AI's growth, it turns out, may not be algorithms or microchips but something far more elemental: electricity. In a striking episode of the Moonshots podcast, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt offered a sobering assessment of the future of AI. 'AI's natural limit is electricity, not chips,' he declared. Schmidt, who now chairs the Special Competitive Studies Project, a pro-AI think tank, explained that the U.S. alone may need an additional 92 gigawatts of power to sustain its AI ambitions—a demand equivalent to building 92 nuclear power plants. For perspective, only two such plants have been constructed in the U.S. over the past three decades. As companies like OpenAI, Microsoft, Meta, and Google sprint toward artificial general intelligence (AGI)—machines with reasoning capabilities that rival or surpass human intelligence—their growing appetite for energy is becoming impossible to ignore. 'We need energy in all forms… and we need it quickly,' Schmidt emphasized during a recent testimony before Congress. This is not just a theoretical concern. Microsoft has already signed a 20-year nuclear power deal to revive the shuttered Three Mile Island facility, while Sam Altman of OpenAI has invested heavily in Helion, a fusion energy startup. Meanwhile, tech companies are snapping up water rights and power contracts in a desperate bid to keep their servers cool and their models humming. In fact according to a report from Quartz, Microsoft's 2023 environmental report revealed a 34% spike in water use, totaling 1.7 billion gallons—just to cool its AI-driven data centers. By 2027, AI workloads could require enough water to serve all of Canada for a year, according to researchers. This surge in energy and resource consumption is igniting broader fears. Environmental groups like Greenpeace warn that AI's unchecked growth could derail national and international climate goals. And yet, the lure of 'superintelligence'—AI so advanced it could transform medicine, law, defense, and scientific research—is too great for companies and investors to resist. 'We don't know what AGI or superintelligence will ultimately deliver,' Schmidt admitted, 'but we know it's coming. And we must plan now to make sure we have the energy infrastructure to support it.' The tension is real. On one hand, AI promises to solve global challenges. On the other, its development could strain—and possibly break—the very systems it aims to improve. The irony is poignant: machines designed to think like humans may one day need more power than humanity can afford to give. AI has long been portrayed as the brain of the future. But Eric Schmidt's warning makes it clear: without electricity, there's no intelligence—artificial or otherwise. As society edges closer to superintelligence, perhaps the more pressing question isn't how smart our machines will become, but whether we'll have enough power to keep them running.
