Microsoft founder Bill Gates has warned that the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) by malicious actors could result in the deaths of more than one billion people.
Bill Gates has urged US lawmakers to bring the technology under immediate government oversight and a legal framework instead of leaving it to self-regulation.
Speaking in an interview with NBC News’ programme Meet the Press, Bill Gates said that history has never seen a weapon as dangerous as the combination of people with malicious intentions and the most advanced AI.
He made it clear that direct oversight by politicians and law enforcement agencies is necessary for this technology.
Bill Gates said that enforcing legal regulations would place a minor burden on the industry, but it would not affect technological progress.
He acknowledged the risk that AI could bring about the end of humanity, but stressed that the immediate priority should be preventing large-scale harm caused by its misuse.
Global leaders brief UN Security Council
Bill Gates’ statement comes at a time when the heads of three major AI companies in the world have formally briefed the United Nations Security Council.
Experts have warned that self-improving AI systems could soon move beyond human control and become a threat to international security.
On the occasion of the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and Hugging Face co-founder Clement Delangue addressed the 15-member Security Council.
Anthropic’s Dario Amodei said that if the technology is not managed properly, it could become dangerous for all of humanity.
‘The threat is real and extremely close’
AI expert and co-chair of the United Nations Independent Scientific Panel, Yoshua Bengio, known as the “Godfather of AI”, told the Security Council that the risks posed by AI are not only real but have also become extremely close.
He stressed that no country can tackle this challenge alone and that the technology does not recognise geographical borders.
US President Donald Trump’s position
On the other hand, despite concerns expressed by industry leaders and global experts, US President Donald Trump has rejected any plans for global control of artificial intelligence.
President Trump described AI as a “wonderful technology” and said that the United States would exercise caution but would not stand in the way of progress that could prove even greater than the Industrial Revolution.
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