Bill Gates has warned that artificial intelligence is more dangerous than cars, planes and drugs, arguing that governments must regulate the technology rather than leave its oversight to the companies developing it.
Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper, the Microsoft co-founder described AI as “the most dangerous technology humans ever invented” and said society needed to act before its risks became unmanageable.
Gates said concerns that AI could wipe out humanity may sometimes be overstated, but that should not mean allowing technology companies to regulate themselves without wider scrutiny.
He pointed to existing rules governing cars, aircraft and medicines, questioning why AI should be given a free pass if it could pose an even greater danger.
Bill Gates warns of AI risks to jobs and national security
His concerns extend beyond the survival of humanity. Gates also warned that artificial intelligence and robots could have a significant impact on employment, saying society should consider taxing them and protecting certain jobs from being replaced.
Gates has previously said AI could be powerful enough to cause events resulting in a billion deaths. “A.I. is certainly powerful enough to drive events that cause a billion deaths,” he told Kristen Welker on Meet the Press.
He added: “So even though it’s pretty hard to get to 100%, there’s never been a weapon as powerful as the combination of people with ill intent using the latest A.I. tools.”
A former Anthropic employee, Jacob Coxon, has warned that there is a 10% chance AI could wipe out humanity within the next decade if companies fail to bring the technology under control. Gates has not gone as far as that prediction.
He said he had already spoken to several politicians and hoped to meet President Donald Trump and his team. His message, he told Tapper, was that serious decisions were needed and time was running out.
