Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt broke down how he sees AI agents changing C-suite jobs

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt said AI could make companies flatter by taking over some planning and coordination work.

Bloomberg/Getty Images AI is changing how executives oversee their companies, Eric Schmidt said on the "In Good Company" podcast.

Google's former CEO described several ways execs he knows use AI agents to manage staff.

He described one company that uses AI assistants to ensure that staff are following its core values.

Eric Schmidt thinks the CEO of the future will have an AI assistant that can see across the entire company.

For employees whose job is to keep a sprawling business coordinated, that could be bad news.

In an episode of the "In Good Company" podcast, the former Google chief executive described assistants that check whether company activity aligns with a leader's values, follow up on projects, and help identify ways to increase profits.

He argued that the technology could make businesses faster and flatter, with fewer people needed to plan, relay information, and move numbers around.

Schmidt sees little time for companies to adjust.

He said competition in AI is fiercer than the PC-versus-Mac or Android-versus-iPhone battles: a model can take roughly six months to build, another two to test, and then be overtaken within five months of release.

"Time compresses every cycle," he said.

He also rejected the idea that AI is a bubble, pointing to Anthropic's rapid revenue growth .

Schmidt said the company had grown faster than a record set during his time at Google , calling it "real money with real customers." The changes he envisions are already visible in smaller experiments, he said.

Schmidt gave the example of two founders he knows who ask an AI assistant every Friday to flag anything happening at their company that conflicts with their values.