Google’s internet legend is stepping down
Vinton Cerf, one of the key figures behind the internet, is stepping down from his role as Google’s chief internet evangelist next week.
Cerf, 83, has spent more than 20 years at Google.
Before that, he helped create TCP/IP with Robert Kahn, the core protocol that lets computer networks speak to each other.
Basically, without it, the internet would be less “global information superhighway” and more “several computers shouting into the void”.
His work has earned him major honours, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Turing Award.
Speaking at the Open Frontier conference, Cerf said the rise of AI agents could push tech companies towards shared standards again.
These agents are designed to act on their own and work with other software, which means they’ll need clear rules for how they communicate.
The key bits:
Vinton Cerf is leaving Google after more than 20 years.
He helped create TCP/IP, one of the foundations of the modern internet.
He thinks AI agents will need formal standards, not just natural language, to work together properly.
AI needs manners
Cerf warned that natural language may not be precise enough for this. English is flexible, but also famously chaotic.
Ask anyone who has ever said “fine” and meant the exact opposite.
He compared AI agents talking in plain language to the telephone game, where a message changes as it passes from person to person.
Hopefully this doesn’t lead to some House of the Dragon-style saga. - MV