Bill Gates called for federal legislators and law enforcement to regulate artificial intelligence, warning that unchecked AI could cause "a billion deaths." The Microsoft co-founder said in an interview airing Sunday that "no one thinks self-regulation is enough" for the technology.
Gates emphasized the need for political and law enforcement involvement in establishing safeguards and monitoring mechanisms. He characterized regulation as a minor operational cost, stating it would be "a little bit of overhead for the industry — but not a dramatic slowing of what they're doing."
Gates underscored the potential for AI in malevolent hands to be "certainly powerful enough to drive events that cause a billion deaths." He added that "there's never been a weapon as powerful as the combination of people with ill intent using the latest AI tools."
The tech entrepreneur dismissed the concept of an AI "kill switch" as inadequate, saying "It's not enough to have a kill switch" and noting that such discussions "just sort of shows how non-technical various people are."
Gates' remarks follow a nearly 6,000-word essay he published in late August, which also warned about AI's potential for large-scale lethal outcomes. Despite these warnings, Gates is generally regarded as optimistic about humanity's future.
Other prominent tech figures, including Sam Altman and Elon Musk, have called for a slowdown in AI development. On Sept. 23, Senator Bernie Sanders proposed legislation to temporarily pause advanced AI development and establish guardrails before further progress occurs.
