Big Technology Podcast · Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Jürgen Schmidhuber asserts that the development of AI is not the work of a single individual but requires the collective effort of an entire civilization. He highlights the need for diverse contributions, from algorithm inventors to computer hardware developers and even video game players who drive demand for computational power. Schmidhuber argues that this broad societal involvement is essential for accelerating progress in AI.
“No single person can create an AI by himself or herself. You need an entire civilization to build an AI.”
“You need not only the guys who are trying to invent algorithms, learning algorithms for artificial neural networks, that is what current AI is about, you also need people who, you know, build better computers.”
“So it is impossible for a single person to create an AI. You need an entire civilization.”