Bill Gates warns: 'AI is powerful enough to cause a billion deaths'

A new day brings a new warning from a high-ranking figure in technology regarding artificial intelligence. Previously, he wrote a paper of 6,000 words on the topic, but now he has commented on it to NBC News, stating that AI has enough power to cause a billion deaths. However, he did not stop at just a warning; he also issued a call to action.

He asserts that no one believes self-regulation is sufficient when it comes to AI. In a discussion with Meet the Press, he indicated that AI is indeed powerful enough to create situations that could lead to the deaths of a billion people. "You need governments and politicians to get involved in discussions about what safety measures should be implemented and what monitoring should look like. That must be a requirement. Of course, that also has disadvantages for the industry itself, but it will not significantly hinder what they do."

The complexity of the situation is that this narrative has been told frequently lately, yet there is a tendency to point fingers rather than take decisive action. The fact that governments are engaged in lawsuits regarding protection measures for children years after TikTok became a worldwide hit is telling: governments are slower to react, and it becomes painfully clear in such situations that politicians often lack sufficient technological knowledge to act early.

However, Gates, among others, now makes it clear that AI is a subject that needs to be addressed more promptly in terms of legislation and regulation. Being too late can be catastrophic in this case. AI companies continue to develop, even if they do not fully control potentially dangerous AI, and while they themselves indicate that the business should slow down, as seen earlier this week with Anthropic.

Gates has been warning about AI for some time. He stated in an essay on his website that the transition to the new AI era will be one of the most turbulent periods in human history. He also pointed out that experts and leaders do not seem to adequately address the challenges. He fears, among other things, bioterrorism where viruses are intentionally spread to kill large numbers of people or animals. While it may be technology, the implications extend far beyond that, and this is partly why Gates hopes to see more action from the leaders of the world.

Reported by Bright.