Is AI About to Surpass Fire, Electricity, and the Internet?
Sundar Pichai just said something wild. In a deep-dive chat with Lex Fridman, the Google CEO claimed that AI might go down as the biggest productivity multiplier in human history — bigger than fire, electricity, or the Industrial Revolution.
Let that cook for a sec.
AI: The Final Boss of Innovation?
Pichai first made the fire/electricity comparison in 2018, and he's doubling down. Why? Because AI is recursive — it can improve itself. That makes it unlike anything we've ever built. It's not just a tool; it's a meta-tool, one that builds better tools... and then upgrades itself again.
"It's the first technology that can dramatically accelerate creation itself"
Translation: it can do your job, then build a better version of itself to do it faster.
What's in the "AI Package"?
Lex compared this to the "Neolithic package" — how farming didn't just bring food, but pottery, trade, and governments. AI's version? According to Pichai:
- Coding on vibes: Turning thoughts into software
- Creative explosion: Billions of people expressing themselves digitally
- Hyper-accessible tools: Everyone becomes a filmmaker, coder, podcaster
We're entering an era where "I have an idea" might be enough to spin up a startup or launch a new media brand — no tech team needed.
And Google's not just talking — they're building. Platforms like Google Cloud AI are already powering that next-gen creative tooling. Whether it's spinning up AI-generated films, writing code, or training massive models, it's all happening on infrastructure that scales with your ambition.
But Will People Still Care About Humans?
Lex asked the big one: if AI makes podcasts 10x better, should we still care about human ones?
Pichai thinks yes.
"We wouldn't watch two AIs play chess... but we'll always care when Magnus Carlsen does."
Humans want soul, struggle, and messiness — things AI can't fake (yet). Still, the info layer? That's already shifting. You want facts? Ask Gemini. You want feels? Tune into Lex spiraling about them.
So What Happens Next?
This conversation was less about hype and more about scale. AI isn't just another tool. It's the tool that builds all others — and unlocks the creative potential of all 8 billion of us.
"This is the worst it'll ever be"
Meaning: buckle up. It's only getting wilder from here.