A Q&A with Google CEO Sundar Pichai

What should Carnegie Mellon students be doing to prepare for the future of AI as you envision it?

I do feel, over time, AI will help people tap into their potential more, including their creative potential. I think CMU has a breadth of programs and colleges. I was learning a lot more about how extraordinary your drama program(opens in new window) is, as an example.

I would, regardless of your discipline, familiarize yourself with AI. You could be in the creative industry learning to play with AI tools. You could maybe take a class on AI ethics. There are so many ways to familiarize yourself with AI, I think I would just have a sense of curiosity and learn more about it. That’s all you need to do. 

And you know, I think given AI will be so pervasive, you will interact with AI in your future in all walks of your life, both personally and professionally, and so CMU has better resources than most places in the world to do that — and that’s an opportunity. I would say, “Carpe diem!”

What are some of the ways institutions like CMU can collaborate with industry leaders that haven’t yet been explored?

I think there are many areas, particularly when it comes to some of the cutting-edge areas like AI, that are resource intensive. And so I think public-private partnerships are going to be really important. 

I think universities have a unique role to play. They can continue pushing the frontiers of research, but they also have a chance to partner closely to build real-world applications, increasingly.

It was exciting for me to see that your robotics team was closely working to incubate companies around robotics, and that there’s a very symbiotic, close relationship between the industry around here in robotics and the academic side of the university. I think that serves as a good template. 

What are some ways that CMU students can prepare for a career at Google?

I think most of the CMU graduates we recruit tend to be from the broad areas of computer science, machine learning, robotics, etc., so when we are looking for people, we are trying to see whether you can take your skills and translate it into your work. 

And so we’re imagining you in that context. The more experiences you can bring — practical experiences, hands-on experiences in which you’re able to maybe build something — those are the kinds of people we’re looking for. Entrepreneurial people.

I think showing that initiative and gaining that experience is the best way you can prepare. 

Are there any other pieces of advice you’d like to share with the CMU community?

There’s been so much progress. What is yet to happen in terms of innovation and technology will dwarf what we have accomplished now as humanity. 

So that’s the opportunity — to be a student of the school with the future ahead of you. I would just say to be positive and optimistic about that future, and enjoy that journey.