Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently warned that the free and open internet is under attack in many countries around the world.

In an interview with the BBC, the US executive said that many countries are restricting the flow of information in a model that is often taken for granted.

The statements were made following journalist Amol Rajan's approach to the Chinese internet model, although Pichai did not refer directly to the Asian country.

Pichai leads companies and products ranging from Waze, FitBit to DeepMind, the pioneers of artificial intelligence. At Google, he is responsible for overseeing Gmail, Google Chrome, Google Maps, Google Earth, Google Docs, Google Photos, and the Android operating system, among others.

According to the leader, in the last 23 years Google has shaped the largely free and open Internet probably more than any other company, but in the next quarter century, two other developments will more significantly revolutionize the world: artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

According to Google's CEO, artificial intelligence is more profound than fire, electricity or the internet. "I see it as the most profound technology that humanity will ever develop and work on," he noted.