Eric Schmidt Dreams Of A Future Where You're Never Lonely, Bored, Or Out Of Ideas

Google CEO Eric Schmidt took the stage at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference Tuesday to share his vision of the future, the role of technology in our lives, and offer a glimpse into Google's trajectory.

He was asked by an audience member how Google defines "openness" and Schmidt, formerly an Apple board member, noted in his explanation that what he means is, essentially, not Apple.

Google's concept of openness is "easier to understand by opposition," Schmidt explained. "The easiest comparison to make today is with Apple." He described Apple as having a "core strategy of closed-ness," while acknowledging that this has "worked extremely well" for Apple.

According to a transcript from the Technology Review, he continued, "You have to use their development tools, their hardware, their software, when you submit an application they have to approve it. That would not be open. So the inverse would be open."

Schmidt also offered a look at the direction in which he sees technology evolving and how he believes it will shape our lives:

It's a future where you don't forget anything...In this new future you're never lost...We will know your position down to the foot and down to the inch over time...Your car will drive itself, it's a bug that cars were invented before computers...you're never lonely...you're never bored...you're never out of ideas.

(transcript via Technology Review)

In the future, he remarked, "We can suggest where you go next, who to meet, what to read...What's interesting about this future is that it's for the average person, not just the elites."

"What we're really doing is building an augmented version of humanity," he said, the Technology Review writes.

Schmidt also envisioned a future where Twitter is profitable. Although he refused to comment on the possibility of Google acquiring Twitter, he observed, "Twitter should be able to come up with advertising and monetization products that should be highly lucrative." (See Twitter's latest moneymaking plan)

What do you think of Schmidt's future? Is it one you'd want to live in or no? Weigh in below.

Comments

[SmolderingRuin]

02:48 AM on 10/05/2010

I'm never lonely or bored now. Leave me alone, Mr. Essence of Creepy.

[sve]

12:05 AM on 10/05/2010

"you're never lonely...you're never bored...you're never out of ideas"

In this future of yours, are you ever out of money?

[RButler]

06:02 AM on 09/30/2010

I suspect that at some point in the future, the trends will reverse and go in another direction altogether. 

With all the information we have at our fingertips currently, we can't agree on the simplest things in order to move forward. 

With all our communication devices, people don't communicate. 

We are having more difficulty solving problems than we did 50 years ago. 

It's not that the technology is a bad thing, it's that we have devolved somehow in the process.  We went to the moon with primitive computers and now airline pilots fly drunk.  Kids are falling behind in school while they can play video games with amazing skill.  We can know the nutrition and calories of any food item with a few clicks yet we are getting fatter and fatter.  And so on. 

[Eyeful]

05:23 AM on 09/30/2010

"What we're really doing is building an augmented version of humanity."

I think what you're really doing is planning to shove augmented versions of searching the internet down our pipes.

[Unimatrix42]

09:18 PM on 09/29/2010

The open vs. closed argument is a lot of bs designed to confuse people who don't know any better. Look at what the carriers are doing to Android and then tell me how this is a great user experience. Google, especially Eric Schmidt, has a severe case of Apple envy. At the end of the day all anyone cares about is if you create compelling products. Sorry folks, that open source revolution has come and gone and lost.

[JasonMcl]

06:12 AM on 09/30/2010

This particular open source revolution is outselling a closed source one and is on path to overtake it by the end of the year. Open development without restrictions and multiple manufacturers will always trump a single provider system with restrictions and one manufacturer.

[boldgravy]

02:43 PM on 09/29/2010

The future that Schmidt envisions is not the kind of future that I necessarily want to live in. "We will know your position down to the foot and down to the inch over time." I find that line in particular to be quite worrying - where does one cross the line between technological utility versus technological excess?

[MonsterMash42]

01:45 PM on 09/29/2010

So they want to figure out your life for you. Finally! an era without personal responsiblity

[hypnotoad72]

05:08 PM on 09/29/2010

Except their definition is not quite the form of "freedom" any of us would want.

[democles]

01:22 PM on 09/29/2010

And Google, who will know everything about you wants to control that. I don't call that open, either. In fact, I'll take Apple before the data mining demons.

[JasonMcl]

06:06 AM on 09/30/2010

Apple mines information from you as well, they just charge you a premium while they do it.

[Cristian Tudose]

12:54 PM on 09/29/2010

such a boring, boring future...

[mikeyaz17]

11:49 AM on 09/29/2010

nuts and a hypocrite considering the other post concerning google here

[karots]

10:45 AM on 09/29/2010

So he wants everything to be open, except.. the internet? Did i get that right?

[SLOMO66]

10:32 AM on 09/29/2010

why do his dreams scare me so much.....any one else?.....

[J0E1]

09:53 AM on 09/29/2010

I use google products because they are innovative and free.  I however am not so naive as to think google won't eventually go down the same road Apple did.  At that point I can only hope another start-up company comes around to replace them.  Lather, rinse, and repeat.

[Cryostatic]

08:19 AM on 09/29/2010

That's nice, Schmidt.

But if you ever try to "suggest" these things to me without me asking you first, I will find you, and punch you in the feet.

[poster1122]

01:23 PM on 09/29/2010

Exactly, what you do you think advertising is?

Are you going to the headquarters of every TV network/station that you watch, every print publication that you read?

[Bucket-Of-Love]

06:02 AM on 09/29/2010

You never have to submit your geolocation or your personal identity if don't want to! That should save a lot of fear and whining.

Search has made access to information much more available -- that's a simple fact. Schmidt should stick to the idea of information not existing exclusively in the domain of the elites. He also should simply say that in the future programming and services will bring about some positive significant changes in terms of how we deal with our personal information.

I think he's attempting a dumbed down explanation, to avoid geeky talk. He's not delivering the message correctly.

And the Google fear and bashing is, in my opinion, way overdone.