Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has warned that artificial intelligence is powerful enough to drive events that could cause a billion deaths if advanced AI tools fall into the hands of people with harmful intentions.
Gates made the remarks in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press”, excerpts of which were released ahead of the full programme scheduled to air on Sunday.
Asked about concerns that AI could pose an existential threat to humanity, Gates said the technology had reached a level of power that could enable catastrophic events.
“AI is certainly powerful enough to drive events that cause a billion deaths,” Gates said.
He said the danger was particularly concerning if people with malicious intentions gained access to increasingly capable AI systems.
Gates also called for governments, politicians and law enforcement agencies to become involved in establishing safeguards and monitoring systems for AI.
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“You need law enforcement and the politicians to get into the discussion about what safeguards and monitoring look like,” he said. (Business Insider)
The comments came amid growing debate over how governments and technology companies should manage the risks associated with increasingly advanced AI systems.
Gates has previously warned that governments were lagging behind the rapid development of AI and needed to prepare for the technology’s impact on society. In a Reuters interview earlier in September, he said no government was sufficiently prepared for the changes AI could bring. (bdnews24.com)
In a recent essay, Gates also identified the misuse of AI by bad actors and disruption to the job market as major challenges requiring stronger governance of the technology.
His latest warning adds to wider concerns among technology leaders and researchers about the potential consequences of increasingly powerful AI systems, particularly when used for harmful purposes.
Business Insider
