Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates called for a new international organization to manage the transition to artificial intelligence, arguing that the world currently lacks any coherent plan to handle the technology's disruption.
Gates detailed his concerns in a nearly 6,000-word essay published on his personal website, proposing creation of both international and domestic frameworks to address AI's widespread effects. He suggested the global body could model itself on existing systems such as nuclear weapons inspection regimes, international aviation regulations and ozone-layer protection agreements.
Gates emphasized the need for increased cooperation among key countries, specifically citing the United States and China. "Some cooperation between the U.S. and China will be required," he wrote, adding that such collaboration is essential for anticipating the technology's rapid advancements.
He questioned whether the world's current institutions are capable of designing and implementing this new architecture. "Government moves slowly when it moves at all," Gates wrote, "and polarization both within and between countries makes progress difficult."
Gates identified three major risks from rapid AI deployment. The first is mass job displacement. He predicted that jobs in law, customer service, medicine, software and manufacturing will be hardest hit as companies reduce reliance on human employees. Gates proposed a potential "Human Reserved" plan to designate certain jobs as best suited for human workers and protect them from automation.
The second risk involves AI misuse. Gates cited the potential creation of bombs, bioweapons and computer viruses. "Even criminals with very limited skills will be able to target victims at every scale: individuals, companies, and governments," he wrote. He identified critical infrastructure as highly susceptible to AI-enabled attacks, including hospitals, financial institutions, water systems, power grids and government-benefit systems.
The third risk Gates highlighted is worsening mental health and social isolation among young people. He argued that AI companions will be "highly damaging to children's development" and more addictive than current social media platforms. Gates noted that society already faces "compulsive use, disrupted sleep, cyberbullying, and exposure to harmful content" from digital platforms and suggested AI could intensify these problems.
