Bill Gates renews warning over risks posed by artificial intelligence

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has once again drawn attention to the dangers posed by the rapid and largely unchecked development of artificial intelligence (AI). In excerpts from a wider interview released by NBC News, Gates expressed concern that today's AI technologies have become powerful enough that misuse could lead to catastrophic consequences.

According to Gates, the combination of people with malicious intent and the latest AI tools represents a level of danger that has never existed before. He said this combination could trigger events resulting in the deaths of a billion people.

Call for regulation

Gates argued that the solution lies in strict legislative regulation of artificial intelligence. He acknowledged that such regulation would impose additional costs on the industry but expressed confidence it would not significantly slow the sector's overall progress. The full interview with Gates is set to air on September 27.

Back in August, Gates published an essay laying out his concerns about artificial intelligence in detail. At the time, he also proposed considering new taxes on AI, given its growing role in replacing human workers.

Gates is not alone in voicing such concerns — OpenAI chief Sam Altman and Anthropic chief Dario Amodei have previously spoken about the need to slow the pace of AI development. However, these calls have so far found little political traction, as both US President Donald Trump and Chinese authorities have shown no willingness to rein in the pace of AI advancement.